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THE 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE 



TEXAS. 



REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE, STATISTICS, 

AND HISTORY. 



A. W. SPAIGHT, 

COMMISSIONER. 




GALVESTON : 

A. H. BELO & COMPANY, PRINTERS. 

1882. 



ERRATA. 



On pag^ 2, line 36, at end of paragraph, add: "The amount of merchantable short-leaf 
pine {pinus mitis) standing in the county of Anderson in 1880, as estimated by ihe United 
States Census Forestry Bureau, was 336,000,000 feet; and of loblolly pine (pinus tceda) 
1,763,600,000 feet, board measure." 

On page 10, line 12, for " Lagurnillas " read "Lagunieras; " and for "Fortilla" read 
" Tordillo." 

On page 17, line 36, for "1880 " read " 1881." 

On page 24, for line 29, read " lies nearly midway between the Rio Grande and the Colo- 
rado river," etc. 

On page 25, line 21, for "torturous" read "tor! nous." 

On page 25, line 25, for " Balcares " read "Balconcs." 

On page 32, line 5, for "exceptionable" read "exceptional." 

On page 34, line 1, for " exceptionably " read '■exceptionally." 

On page 34, line 13, for "four" read "few." 

On page 37, for lines 34 and 35, read: " This institution furnishes instruction and board 
to all its students at the low rate of $130 for the scholastic year, and free of charge to 
ninety-three," etc. 

On page 43, line 25, for "one hundred feet" read "twenty-five feet." 

On page 43, line 35, for "early date" read "earlier date." 

On page 51, line 7, add, at end of paragraph: "Brazos Santiago inlet, a narrow pass be- 
tween Padre and Brazos islands, has a natural channel of seven and one-half feet at mean 
low tide across the bar at its mouth. The work of deepening this channel to twelve feet has 
been undertaken by the United States government, and is being prosecuted with a reasona- 
ble assurance of an early and complete success." 

On page 62, line 35, for "long transportation" read "long sea transportation." 

On page 87, line 27. for "augers " read " augurs." 

On page 110, line 4, for " 29 deg., 40 min.," read "29 deg., 20 min." 

On page 114, line 1, strike out "and San Diego." 

On page 133, line 23, for "forrestry " read " forestry." 

On page 141, line 16, for "Sabine Pass and Texas Northwestern Railway" read "Sa- 
bine and Texas Northern Railway." 

On page 170, line 22. for " Parra Maria" read " Pana Maria." 

On page 178, line 7, for " San Moras " read " Las Moras." 

On page 228, line 35, for " smallest county " read "one of the smallest counties." 

On page 257, line 11, for " Todillo " read " Tornillo." 

On pages 260 and 261 for " North Sulphur Fork," whenever it occurs, read "Sulphur Fork.' 

On page 274, line 8, for "Palogocho" read " Palo Gacho." 

On page 280, line 1, for "east longitude" read "west longitude." 

On page 290 and 292, lines 10 and 22, for "Gunsolus" read "Gonzales." 

On page 296, line 11, for "Bremond" read "Brownwood." 

On page 299, line 32, for "Fort Griffith" read "Fort Griffin." 

On page 302, line 38, for "pallelogram " read " parallelogram." 

On page 313, line 14. for "Thomvine," read " Thouvenius." 

On page 333, line 37, for " Randin " read " Random" 

On page 356, line 36, after " Lamb " add " one-third of Hockley." 

On page' 359, line 38, for "Indian" read "Indiana." 

On map, under head of " Exemptions from Taxation," add "farm products in the hands 
of the producer, and family supplies for home and farm use." 

\ 









REPORT. 



Department of Insurance. Statistics, and History, / 
Austin, December 1, 1882. )" 

To His Excellency, 0. M. Roberts, Governor: 

Sir: — I have the honor to submit herewith my report on the resources r 
soil, and climate of Texas. 

In laying before you the results of my labors in the statistical branch of 
this department for the past twenty months, it is but proper that I should state 
in briefest outline some of the difficulties and embarrassments under which the 
materials for this volume have been collected and the compilation prepared. 

"Whilst the duty was imposed on this department by the Legislature, at 
its last regular session, to publish a report on the resources of the State, no 
provision was made for the collection of the statistical information indispen- 
sable to the proper discharge of that duty. A bill prepared by me for the 
collection of statistics by the method approved and employed by those 
States which have taken the lead in this line of economic progress, — namely, 
by county tax assessors, their returns to be revised and approved by the 
county courts of their respective counties — was passed by the Senate; but 
owing to the pressure of business of more immediate, if not more important in- 
terest, which usually occurs near the close of a session, this bill was not reached 
on the calendar by the House of Representatives, and did not become a law.- 

So, too, in the matter of the compilation, and preparation of statistical 
data for publication, an appropriation for two clerks for this branch of the 
department, which was recommended by your Excellency, and passed 
by the Senate, was stricken out of the general appropriation bill by the 
House of Representatives, and thus failed by disagreement of the two bodies. 

Thus left to my unaided individual efforts, I began the work of collect-- 
ing, as best as I could, the multifarious statistics of a domain broader and 
more diversified in climate, soil, and productions, than the largest empire in 
Europe, except Russia, or than the two largest States of this Union. To 
this end, as soon as practicable after the close of the session of the Legisla- 
ture, blank forms were carefully prepared to elicit information in regard to 
all matters of interest and value touching the resources and topographical 
features of the State. These blank forms, with a circular letter urging that 
they should be filled up with full and correct answers, were sent by mail to 
each Un'ted States Senator and Reprepresentative of this State, to each State 
Senator and Representative, to each judge of the higher courts, to each- 



IV REPORT OF COMMISSIONER OF 

district judge, and to each county judge of the one hundred and seventy- 
organized counties, and to one or more citizens in each of the fifty-six un- 
organized counties of the State, wherein a postoffice had been established. 

When this list of State and county officials, all of whom were presuma- 
bly possessed of abundant public spirit, and certainly of abundant intelli- 
gence, was finished, and a month or more had elapsed without bringing for- 
ward the looked-for statistical returns, I resolve to push my inquiries into 
rthe walks of private life. I thereupon sent out copies of the same blank 
forms, with a circular letter, even more urgent than before, to a number of 
citizens of known competence and character in each of the organized coun- 
ties; and, that no stone should be left unturned, county judges and other 
county officials have again and again been plied with appeals to their county 
pride to not permit their respective counties to go unrepresented in the con- 
templated publication of the statistics of the State. Correspondence from 
time to time, has also been held with many leading citizens in all parts of 
the State, who were supposed to be especially well informed as to the water 
power, and the coal, iron, and other mineral deposits of their respective lo- 
calities, or as to the trade statistics of their respective cities, with a view to 
.obtain full information in regard to these important elements of State weath. 
By the persistent and strenuous efforts above described, I have managed 
to obtain statistical returns from one hundred and sixty-seven of the one 
hundred and seventy organized counties, and from six of the unorganized 
.counties of the State. Of the three organized counties from which no re- 
turns have been received, I have gleaned sufficient information from relia- 
ble outside sources to enable me to include them in this report. I regret to 
have to add, that very many returns, which on a cursory examination I had 
thought to be tolerably full and complete, were found, when more carefully 
analyzed to be far from satisfactory. Indeed, it so turned out. that up to a very 
recent date, when my undivided attention was demanded and should have 
been given to digesting and arranging the data already in hand, I was still 
.employed in the effort to supply, by active correspondence, the deficiencies 
in the returns discovered from day to day, as the work of compilation pro- 
ceeded. But, strange to say, not the least difficulty which has beset my path , 
in this direction, was in my endeavors to obtain a condensed statement of ! 
the trade statistics of many of the larger cities of the State. It is scarcely 
^credible, but nevertheless true, that my appeals to city pride in very many 
instances have proved utterly fruitless 

After the lapse of thirteen months, the Legislature, at the special session 
in April of the current year, at length came to my aid with an appropria- 
tion for statistical clerks, but it was then too late for me, by any amount of 
exertion on my part, to make good the loss of time already incurred. The 
Bhort term of employment which I then had it in my power to offer, in the 
■nature of things, very greatly aggravated the difficulty, which would have been 
(encountered under the most favorable conditions, of obtaining the services 



INSURANCE, STATISTICS, AND HISTORY. V 

of assistants, who, by training and habits of thought, were even moderately 
well equipped for the work in hand. From this and the other hindrances 
before mentioned, further delay and a retarded progress naturally followed, 
and the inevitable result is before you, in a hurried, and, I fear, inadequate, 
presentation of a subject vast in its proportions and requiring in its treat- 
ment the utmost care and deliberation. 

I have thought the foregoing explanation necessary in order that the- 
considerate reader may find therein sufficient reason for any want of full- 
ness, or of precise accuracy, or of clear and orderly statement which may 
be discovered in the setting forth of the mass of facts embraced in this vol- 
ume. If I have given fuller or more favorable accounts of some 
counties than of others, or of some interests than of others, possessing equal 
claims to consideration, it has been because I have not been able, with the 
scant means at my command to obtain the facts necessary to enable me to 
do even-handed justice to all alike. Impressed with the conviction that 
this report would subserve no good purpose unless it bore on every page 
internal evidence of truthfulness, I have endeavered to adhere to the rule, 
adopted at the outset, of systematic understatement of all the advantages 
and of explicit mention of whatever of drawbacks might attach to the par- 
ticular localities outlined. 

In order to exclude a possible conclusion that the account of any county r 
city, or town, or of any private enterprise or property, has been colored by 
the pen of some ready writer inspired by self-interest or local attachment, 
it should be stated that there is not a paragraph in this report that was not 
prepared by myself, or by one of my assistants under my direction, and in 
the latter case, carefully revised and shaped by mysefl to conform to what I 
believed to be the actual facts and the proper manner of statiug them. I 
deem this avowal the more necessary from the number of letters from other 
States and foreign countries received at this office, asking for information in. 
regard to the State from official sources, and strongly implying a want of full 
faith in the accuracy of representations emanating from private and presum- 
ably interested parties. 

On the map of the State, prepared and corrected to date in this office, to 
accompany and supplement this report, I have endeavored to present, in 
condensed, but intelligible form, all the most important statistics pertaining 
to the State at large, which could not be properly embraced under the head 
of the several counties. 

It remains for me to acknowledge here my large indebtedness to my 
chief assistant, Mr. Norman G. Kittrell, who for a period of four months, 
with unflagging industry, brought his rare aptitude for statistical research to- 
my aid in the compilation of this work. In lesser degree only, am I also 
indebted to Mr. Henry C. King and Mrs. B. N. Taylor, for services, which 
although rendered for a much shorter term, and under the disadvantage of 
not having the books and documents of the office at hand for ready refer- 



VI REPORT OF COMMISSIONER. 

ence, were, nevertheless, of great value. And I must not withhold the com- 
mendation justly due Mr. John W. Swindells, who, in addition to the prompt 
and intelligent discharge of his by no means light duties as insurance 
clerk, has found time to do much that must otherwise have been left undone 
in the statistical branch of this office. 

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 

A. W. Spaight, 
Commissioner. 



CONTENTS. 



A descriptive and statistical review of the 170 organized counties, in alphabetical order. 
The four unorganized counties, Crockett, Edwards, Encinal and Zavalla, lying 

s< u*h of the thirty-second parallel of north latitude 3j3 

The fifty-two unorganized counties lying between New Mexico and the ninety- 
ninth meridian of west longitude, and north of the thirty-second parallel of 

north latitude (The Panhandle) 355 

Area of the State See official map accompanying this volume 

Population of the State in 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 Official map 

Taxable property of the State in 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, and 1881 Official map 

Area, population, percentage of colored, and value of taxable property of the 

several counties ' Official map 

State finances Official map 

State advalorem tax Official map 

County advalorem tax; limitation of by the Constitution Official map 

Common schools, University, and asylum funds Official map 

The University of Texas Official map 

Agricultural and Mechanical branch of Official map 

Medical branch of Official map 

Branch of for colored youths, provided for by the Constitution Official map 

Sam Houston and Prairie View normal schools Official map 

Lands belonging to common schools, University, asylums, railway corporations, 

and lands set apart to pay the public debt; terms of sale of Official map 

Property exempt from forced sale Official map 

Property exempt from taxation. (See, also, " Errata.") Official map 

Railway lines in operation, and railway mileage in the State December 1, 1882. .Official map 
Railway mileage constructed in the State from 1872 to 1882. (See, also, page 

360) Official map 

Mean annual and mean monthly rainfall at twenty-seven United States signal ser- 
vice stations in the State, and at Shreveport, Louisiana Official map 

Agricultural and Mechanical College. (See, also, page 37) Official map 

Agricultual products of the State; the yield of See under head of each county 

Artesian wells 233, 288, 294 

Bois dare timber 63, 76, 70. 91, 99, 122, 152, 155, 171, 179, 260, 266 

Bois d'arc hedges 122, Ml, 259 

Brazil wood 49, 290, 351 

Building stone 28, 43, 132, 174, 181, 198, 200, 233, 256, 289, 293, 346, 357 

Canyon, Goodnight's 356 

Capitol, the State 305 

Capitol, temporary 307 

Capitol land reservation 356 

Cement, hydraulic 27, 310 

Chalk ....". 233, 256 



1 1 CONTENTS. 

Coal 10, It, 19, 24, 28,32, 39, GO, 62, 70, 86, 90, 95, 97, 121, 132, 153, 158, 168 

173, 191, 222, 226, 247, 281, 293, 298, 331, 342, 346, 349, 353 

Copper 9, 24, 28, 39, 60, 90, 117, 200, 206, 226, 257, 281, 293, 337 

Cotton manufactories 78, 84, 172, 204, 214, 314, 325 

Cotton, production of the State in 1860, 1881 and 1882 112 

Cotton seed oil mills 27, 37, 66, 77, 98, 102, 128, 138, 204, 214, 327, 329 

Cross Timbers, upper 69, 157, 225, 250, 345 

Cross Timbers, lower 72, 81, 122, 148, 165, 294 

Ebony 49, 146, 290, 351 

Farm labor, wages of See under head of each county 

Farms, rent of See under head of each county 

Foundries 2, 27. 54, 77, 126, 138, 111, 204, 214, 265, 271, 296, 329 

Gold 24, 43, 200, 206, 226, 257, 281 

Granite 28, 43, 200 

Guano, bat 318 

Guayacan, or soap tree 290 

Gypsum 95, 238, 339, 357 

Harbors. (See, also, " Errata.") 6, 35,46,110,111,136,164,208,210 

Health of counties, cities and towns See under head of each county 

Hedges, Texas plant (species of cactus) 251 

Hedges, bois d'arc 92, 123, 251, 259, 329 

Hedges, uno de gato 49, 351 

Hedges, McCartney rose 322 

Huisache, or acacia 49, 146, 290, 351 

Iron ore 2, 9, 19, .4, 32, 39, 43, 44, 53, 54, 58, 60, 62, 90, 121, 126, 141, 153, 173, 

191, 200, 204, 206, 226, 228, 230, 232, 271, 275, 281, 287, 293, 298, 302, 316, 342, 349 
Iron ore, magnetic and hematite 293 

Jute 236 

Kaolin 121, 195, 275 

Lands in hands of individuals, improved and unimproved, price of. 

See under head of each county 
Lands school, State and county, 4, 13, 16, 32, 54, 59, 62, 86, 88, 90, 116, 132, 134, 136, 168, 

173, 178, 185, 206, 216, 219, 224, 236, 238, 246, 251, 253, 258, 291, 293, 312, 313, 337. 

(See also official map). 

Lead 43, 95, 117, 121, 257, 281 

Lignum-vitse 49, 290 

Lime furnaces 27, 309 

Liquor traffic prohibited 9, 22, 162, 168, 181, 216, 237, 256, 262, 285, 318 

Llano Estacado, or Staked Plain 355 

Manganese. 281 

Magnolia grandiflora • 33, 139, 276 

Manufactories 19, 37, 77, 100, 163, IS. 204, 214, 221, 244, 261. 287, 325, 344 

Marble 28,43,181,200,281 



CONTENTS. 

Medical Branch of Statu University See official map 

V~\squit<. roots for fuel 252, 257 

Mc -quite for hedges 206 

Mecquiti >eans for food 217 

Minerals See coal, copper, gold, iron, kaolin, lead, salt, silver 

Mineral waters 35, 45, 55, 58, 67, 84, 97, 127, 134, 151, 165, 174, 183, 190, 197, 

202, 230, 247, 255, 265, 270, 289, 312, 313, 321, 328, 343 
Mound. Damon's 35 

Normal chool for white students 325 

Normal chool for colored students. (See also official map.) 327 

Oleander 1 tree Ill 

Granges , 34, 111, 163, 290 

)sage oi.nge See boia d'arc 

"^anhandle, The 355 

Pasture enclosed, largest, with one exception, on this continent 50 

Penitentiaries, State 5g 325 

Petunse 195 

Petroleum 39, 226, 232, 275, 293, 342 

Prairie View Normal School. (See also official map.) 327 

Pin- timber 2, 4, 31, 52, 57, 105, 125, 127, 133, 139, 140, 144, 152, 154, 161, 

163, 192, 201, 203, 227, 229, 231, 23G, 213, 248, 255, 260, 270, 272, 273, 276, 284,' 286,' 
301, 311, 313, 315, 319, 323, 326, 347. (See, also, "Errata).''' 

Population of counties See under head of each county, and also official map 

Population of State in 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 See official map 

Pork packery 296 

Potter's lay 271 

Pottery lanufactory of 58. 195, 344 

Railway niles of, constructed in the State in ten years. (See, also, official map). 360 

Railwaj .mileage in the State December 1, 1882. (See, also, official map) 113 

Rainfall See under head of each county 

Rainfall 'ican annual and mean monthly See official map 

Religion lenomiuations See under head of each county 

Salt 126, 147, 320 

Sam Houston Normal Institute. (See, also, official map.) 325 

Schools See under head of each county, and also official map 

Ship timber 33, 139, 192 

Silver 24, 39, 43. 86, 95, 117, 121, 158, 200, 206, 220, 226, 257, 281, 342 

Steatite or soapstone 28, 200 

Stock, live, and stockraising Sec under head of each county 

Stock, live, number of in the State in 1881 Sec official map 

Stone See building *stone 

Stone, mill 153 

Sugaj 34, 50, 104, 190, 208, 333, 352 

Sulphur 19 

Taxes, county See each county 

Taxes, State See official map 



X CONTENTS. 

Timber See bois d'arc, ebony, pine, ship timber. See also under head of each county 

Trees, fifty-four kinds of, in one county 103 

Trees, twenty-two kinds of, in one county 189 

University of Texas. (See, also, official map) 309 

University jf Texas, branch of, for colored students, provided for by constitution. 

» See official map 

University ndowment of See offieial map 

United Slui .- signal service stations in the State, mean annual rainfall registered at. 

See official map 
Uno de gato, or cat'sclaw, hedging plant 49, 290, 351 

Walnut, black 12, 28, 76, 99, 103, 161, 172, 189, 202, 254, 266, 276, 284 

"Water power 12. 15, 23, 25, 30, 43. 44, 58, 65, 67, 75, 84, 94, 98, 104, 117, 119, 120- 

130, 143, 148, 151, 153, 155, 168, 173, 175, 179, 187, 190, 200, 206, 211, 218, 219, 228, 
232, 236, 269, 273, 274, 277, 280, 284, 287, 293, 304, 309, 314, 316, 318, 320, 324, 337, 

342, 344, 349, 351, 360 

Wine, mustang grape 151, 193, 218 

Wool growing, largest single clip of wool from one sheep in 1881 341 

Woolen manufactory 68, 281 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE 



THE STATE OF TEXAS 



BY COUNTIES. 



ANDERSON COUNTY 

Anderson county was organized in 1846. Its excellent situation early 
attracted settlers to cultivate the rich lands lying along the Neches and 
Trinity rivers, which form respectively its eastern and western boundaries. 
Time and experience soon brought the well-timbered lands intervening 
between those rivers into notice, at first on account of the varied crops to 
which they were adapted, and later for their fruit and vegetable growing 
capabilities, which of recent years have made Anderson famous for having 
the earliest and finest peaches, tomatoes, and strawberries in the St. Louis 
market. 

The area of the county is 108* square miles. 

Population in 1 870 3,229 

Population in 1880 17,395 

Total assessed value of all property in 1870 $1,395,025 

Total assessed value of all property in 1881 2,685,650 

Total assessed value of live stock in 1881 333,330 

About four-tenths of the population are colored. 

It is an elevated, level county, well wooded with pine, oak, hickory, and 
black-jack, particularly along the numerous streams, which rise generally 
towards the northern part and flow from the divide southeast and southwest 
into the Neches and Triiiity rivers respectively. Bold springs of good 
water are plentifully distributed. Well water is easily obtained, and is 
very pure. Cisterns are also used to some extent. Buffalo, catfish, trout, 
white perch, and other small fish are abundant in the rivers and other 
streams. 
1 



2 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

The soil, dark gray or red sandy on the uplands, and black along the bot- 
toms, produces fruits and garden vegetables of every variety common to 
similar latitudes, corn, cotton, sugar, oats, and sweet and Irish potatoes. The 
average yield of well-tilled cotton to the acre is one-half a bale; corn, twenty- 
five bushels; sweet potatoes, one hundred bushels. The pasturage grasses 
flourish during the entire year on the bottom lands, and, only in a less lux- 
uriant degree, on the uplands. 

The stock industry is not extensive, but interest in the improvement of 
breeds is becoming general. There are already a number of fine cows in 
the county, and a few bulls of superior breed, Durham most commonly, 
though Jersey is the choice. During the few severe winter months cotton 
seed is fed to stock. Domestic fowl do well. 

Good cultivated land, with the improvements, sells for from $7 to $12 an 
acre, paid part cash — one-third usually — and the residue in one and two 
years, with ten per cent interest. The rental for good land is about $3 an 
acre, or, if worked on shares, one-third of the corn, one- fourth of the cot- 
ton. The wild land is all timbered. It can be bought for from $1 to $5 an 
acre, and will probably yield one-half of a full crop the first year it is tilled. 
County school lands are worth $1.50 an acre. Labor is paid for at the rate 
of $15 a month, or $150 a year, with board, or for part of the crop, as above 
stated. 

The cultivation of the soil constitutes the chief industry. Peach culture, 
in particular, is assuming large and increasing proportions. Great quanti- 
ties of this fruit are shipped to various points both north and south. The 
International and Great Northern Railway traverses the county from east 
to west, passing through Palestine to Houston, one of the great railway 
centers of the State. Fruits and vegetables are transported over this and 
connecting lines in refrigerator cars. Apples and pears also do well. Im- 
proved implements have not yet been very extensively introduced. Work 
horses cost $75 per head, mules $100, oxen $40 per yoke. 

About twenty steam saw-mills, scattered through the pine forests of the 
eastern part of the county, are actively engaged in the lumber trade. At 
these mills lumber selks for from $9 to $12 per thousand; split rails for 
fencing are sold for $1 and $1.50 per hundred. The manufacturing indus- 
try is confined to the saw mills, the shingle and planing factories, and a 
brass and iron foundry, all of which are prospering. 

Iron ore is largely distributed throughout this county. During the late 
war it was practically tested by numerous smelting furnaces then estab- 
lished, and was found to be of excellent quality. 

Palestine, the county seat, and chief market for the cotton and other 
produce,, is a town of about five thousand inhabitants, which made a sudden 
bound towards prosperity when the International and Great Northern Rail- 
way reached it, and established its general offices and machine and repair 
shops there. It has since continued to grow rapidly and substantially. It 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. ANGELINA COU'NTY 3 

has a public free graded school for white children and one for colored. 
About two hundred children attend the former, and half that number the 
latter. The private schools, including one under the charge of the Sisters 
of Charity, are small but numerous, having in all an attendance of about 
one hundred children. The scholastic population of the entire county, in- 
cluding the city of Palestine, is 2634. 

The other towns in the county are r>. . ies, population about 200; Elk- 
hart, 100; Douglas, 25; Kickapoo, 50; Ioni, 25; Tennessee Colony, 50. 

The number and prosperity of the churches attest the religious and moral 
tone of the inhabitants. There are churches for Presbyterian, Episcopa- 
lian, Methodist (both Northern and Southern), Missionary Baptist, Chris- 
tian, Congregationalist, and Catholic forms of worship among the whites, 
while the negroes have numerous church edifices of the Methodist and Bap- 
tist denominations. 

The only standing debt now existing is a bonded and partially redeemed 
subsidy debt, incurred by a donation to the International and Great Northern 
Railway. The general tax is twenty cents on the hundred dollars, to which 
is added fifty cents for the subsidy debt. 

Carpenters and bricklayers are more in demand than workmen of any 
other trade. They find constant employment, at remunerative wages, and 
are rarely obliged to suspend work on account of inclement weather, as do 
their brethren in more northern climates. 

All things considered — climate, soil, healthfulness, diversified crops, rail- 
way facilities, and social and religious advantages — Anderson stands in the 
front rank of the older counties of the State. 



ANGELINA COUNTY 

This county lies between the Angelina and the Neches rivers, in the 
pine forest region of eastern Texas. It has an area of 878 square miles, 
consisting in large part of rolling, fairly productive lands, and, in smaller 
proportion, of rich bottoms. 

Population in 1870 3,985 

Population in 18S0 5,239 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $401,004 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 732,282 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 124,962 

The soil is chiefly gray, red and black sandy, intermixed with occasional 
stiff, black land. It is covered with a growth of long and short leaf and lob* 



4 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

lolly pine, ash, walnut, wild peacb, hickory, beach, birch, magnolia, elm, and 
the various species of oak, such as white, red, black, pin, and overcup oak. 
According to the United States census bulletin, on May 30, 1880, the esti. 
mated amount of merchantable long leaf pine in this county was 1,340,800,- 
000 feet, and of loblolly pine 1,190,400,000. The abundance of the timber 
makes the lumber trade a large and profitable industry. Saw-mills are 
now, and promise to continue in the futiwe, the best paying investments in 
the county. At present much of the timber is rafted down the Neches 
river to the steam saw mills at Beaumont, in Jefferson county. 

Angelina is well adapted to fruit growing and diversified farming. Ap- 
ples, peaches, pears, quinces, plums, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, 
gooseberries and garden vegetables grow well. Bermuda grass thrives 
well when planted. Carpet, Hungarian, and sedge grasses are the sponta- 
neous production of the uncultivated lands. 

In the report of the United States Commissioner of Agriculture for 1876, 
the statement is made that the average yield of cotton per acre, without the 
aid of fertilizers, was as large in Angelina as in any other county in the 
State. It is estimated that the best bottom lands produce from 800 to 
1600 pounds of seed cotton per acre, varying in yield according to the sea- 
son and to the more or less careful cultivation. Corn yields on an average 
30 bushels to the acre on the bottom lands, 20 bushels on the uplands; market 
price $1 per bushel; oats, 35 bushels, price 40 cents per bushel; rye and 
barley, 20 bushels each, 75 cents per bushel; sugar, 1000 pounds; molasses, 
350 gallons, 50 cents per gallon; sorghum, 150 gallons, 34) cents per gallon; 
Irish potatoes, 200 bushels, $1 per bushel; sweet potatoes, 200 bushels, 25 
cents per bushel; peas, 50 bushels, $1.50 per bushel, peanuts, 300 bushels, 
$2 per bushel; onions, 200 bushels, $1 per bushel; turnips, the same; hay, 
2 tons, $15 per ton; millett (lately introduced), 3 tons, $20 per ton; to- 
bacco, 1000 pounds, 15 cents per pound; melons, 1000, 15 cents a piece. 
Rice also produces well. 

Two-thirds of the soil is arable, and about 25,000 acres are under culti- 
vation. It is not, however, the best land that has been cleared and occu- 
pied, for the finest lands are in the hands of capitalists, who refuse to 
sell at current prices. The advent of the three railways now being con- 
structed, will probably bring these lands into the market, much to the 
advantage of the county. The railways mentioned aee the Houston East 
and West Texas, the Denison Trunk Line, and the Sabine Pass and East 
Texas, ail of which will certainly be completed through the county during 
the current year. There are 62 sections of State and 900 acres of county 
school lande in Angelina. 

To transport produce at present to Galveston, to which nearly all the 
county trade flows, costs $3 a bale for coRon, and sixty cents per hundred for 
other freight. Through connection with New Orleans, St. Louis and Gal- 
veston by rail will be made when the above mentioned lines are completed. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — ANGELINA COUNTY. 5 

Tracts containing one-third of cultivated land, with ordinary improve- 
ments, are worth from $4 to $10 per acre, one-third to one-half cash; good 
land can be rented for from $1.50 to $3 per acre, or for one-fourth of the 
sotton and one-third of the other crops raised. Wild land may be bought 
for from $1 to $2.50 per acre; some of it will yield almost a full crop the 
first year that it is put in cultivation. 

Great demand for labor exists. Good mechanics earn from $40 to $75 
per month; arm laborers $15 per month and board, or one-third the crop 
when tools, team and feed for team are furnished by the employer. 

Angelina county was formerly extensively engaged in stockraising. Of 
late years, however, from various causes, the industry has been steadily 
shrinking into smaller limits. Cattle, sheep, horses and mules graze and 
keep in good condition on the rich grasses and cane in the bottoms through- 
out the year Hogs fatten on the hickory, beach, and acorn mast. Sheep 
increase about sixty per cent per annum. The average weight of fleece is 
four pounds a year. The number of stock is as follows: Cattle, 10,999; 
horses and mules, 1900; hogs, 19,612; sheep, 940; goats, 74. Work horses 
are worth, on an average, $75 per head; mules, $100; oxen, $60 per yoke. 

Domestic fowl of all kinds thrive well, and game is abundant. Deer, 
wild turkey, partridge and quail are found. In the rivers and smaller 
streams are catfish, buffalo, drum, trout, suckers, and perch in numbers, to 
delight the angler. 

Streams are everywhere numerous in this county, and the rainfall plenti- 
ful, and evenly distributed throughout the year, so as to insure uniformly 
fair crops. Besides the Angelina and Neches rivers, the principal water 
courses are the Poffer, Big, Gilleland, Odel, Shawnee, Buck, Cedar, and 
Jack creeks. Springs and wells are numerous. Along the bottoms of 
these rivers and creeks malarial fevers occasionally occur, but otherwise the 
climate is pleasant and healthful. The summer temperature is generally 
very moderate, seldom, if ever, reaching 95 deg.; in winter water rarely 
freezes. 

Homer, the county seat, has about 1000 inhabitants. Miami and Liufkins 
are stations on the East and West Texas Railway; Cheeseland, Wilmoth, and 
Shawnee Creek are small villages. 

Forty-seven free schools in the county have 1356 pupils in attendance. 
Blacks and whites alike enjoy good facilities for obtaining a common school 
education. Twenty Baptist churches, twenty-four Methodist Episcopal South, 
one Reformed Methodist, and two Presbyterian churches, and a well organ- 
ized system of Sunday schools, represent the religious tone of a people 
that will compare favorably in all the elements of good citizenship with 
those of many more populous and wealthy condies. 



6 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



ARANSAS COUNTY. 

Aransas county lies on the gulf coast, somewhat more than half way be- 
tween Galveston and the mouth of the Rio Grande river. 

Population in 18S0 966 

Estimated population in 1882 1,250 

Assessed value of taxable property in 18S1 §526.766 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 130,090 

It covers an area of 437 square miles, only about one-half of which 
is land, the remainder embracing Aransas, Copano, Puerto, and St. Charles 
bays. What land there is, however, is a good sandy soil. It produces 
garden vegetables of every description in large quantities, grapes, figs, and 
dewberries; corn at an average yield of 20 bushels per acre, worth $1 per 
bushel; sweet potatoes, 200 bushels, worth $1 per bushel; hay, 1 ton. $15 
a ton; melons, 1200 to 1500 to an acre, 15 cents a piece; turnips, 250 
bushels, $1 per bushel; besides tobacco, peas, peanuts, onions and millett. 
Farming, however, is not followed to any considerable extent, and is lim- 
ited to the production of home supplies, the farms, or rather patches, not 
averaging more than eight or ten acres each. Stockraising is the chief 
industry. Next to this in importance ranks the preserving and shipping 
of meat and fish. Canning meat, fish and vegetables is likely to prove a 
very paying business in this county. One establishment of the kind is 
already in operation, with every prospect of success. 

From the many bays and inlets within the county, and the bay which 
forms its southwestern boundary, fish and oysters of fine quality and in 
great numbers are obtained. Red fish, trout, mullett, flounder, Spanish 
mackerel, the marine turtle, and other varieties of salt-water fish are caught 
and shipped to Galveston and New Orleans. 

The United States government, recognizing the advantage of a good 
harbor at this point of the gulf, is endeavoring to deepen the channel at 
Aransas Pass, with every prospect of ultimate success. The Pass lies be- 
tween St. Joseph's and Mustang islands, and constitutes the entrance to the 
two spacious land-locked harbors of Aransas and Corpus Christi bays. The 
natural channel across the bar at present varies from seven to eight feet, 
and it is proposed to increase this to twelve feet at mean low-tide. It is 
estimated that the work will cost $760,000 for deepening the Pass, and 
$440,000 for dredging out the bay channel to Rockport and Corpus Christi. 
About $150,000 has been expended, and larger appropriations by Congress 
may safely be counted upon, as the beneficial effects of the system adopted 
are made manifest. There is already a sufficient depth of water to permit 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. ARANSAS COUNTY. 7 

the Morgan line of gulf steamships to come up to the wharves at Rock- 
port and Fulton, towns on Aransas bay. The former is the county seat; 
contains a population of 700, and does an annual business of about $1,500,000, 
chiefly in the shipment of beeves to eastern markets. Fulton, a few miles 
farther up the bay, is noted for its beef packeries, its bone mill, where bones 
are ground for fertilizers, and its ice factory, counting up an aggregate 
trade of $500,000 yearly. 

Leaving tbe coast line, we find the land a broad, level prairie (only about 
one-third the entire area being covered with live oak, blackjack and hackberry 
timber), and affording fine pasturage of native grasses — the mesquite excel- 
lent all the year, the sedge grass best in summer, and the wire grass in win- 
ter. Over those meadows of nature's own bountiful planting roam flocks 
and herds, which must be considered large for that limited area. The 
number of stock is as follows: 16,204 cattle, 849 horses, 1644 sheep, 175 
goats, 1500 hogs. They graze all the year on the range, receive no other 
feed, and increase rapidly — sheep 50 per cent, cattle 25 per cent. The 
average weight of fleece is five pounds a year. Horses, for work, cost $30; 
mules, $50 dollars. St. Joseph's island is about twenty miles long and one 
and one-half mile wide. It is a pasture, enclosed by nature, and is devoted 
exclusively to stockraising. Good water is obtained at the depth of a few 
feet. 

Wild land, suitable for pasturage, can be bought for $1 an acre. Land, 
with a part in cultivation, can be purchased for from $2 to $10, cash, ac- 
cording to location and quality. 

The "ounty tax is 40 cents on the $100. A small floating county debt of 
$500 exists. 

Three free schools, sufficient for the present needs of the county, are es- 
tablished. The scholastic population is 206, with an average attendance 
of 150. 

Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Catholics, and Episcopalians have 
each a house of worship in the county. Fulton has a fine church edifice, 
dedicated to the use of all religious denominations. 

The moral tone of the county is veiy good, and peace and good order 
prevail. The inhabitants consider their county, in many respects, the best 
in the State for their purposes, and they live in the confident anticipation 
of increased prosperity and population in the near future. Being justly 
noted for the salubrity of its climate, tempered always by the salt breeze 
from the gulf, the summer temperature not averaging more than from 80 
deg. to 90 deg., and that of the winter 30 deg. to 60 deg. ; and with the 
amplest facilities for transporting their surplus produce to the markets of 
the world, the people of Aransas enjoy the means of obtaining an easy 
competency by the expenditure of half the labor required in less favored 
climes, and have every reason to believe that their hopes in the ultimate 
prosperity of their county are well founded. 



8 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OE 



ARCHER COUNTY. 

This is a newly organized county, separated from Red River by "Wichita 
county, to which immigration has been but recently attracted by its reputa- 
tion for fine stock ranges, good farming lands, and rich mineral deposits. 

Population in 1880, all white 596 

Total value of taxable property in 183! $695,170 

Total value of live stock in 1881 279,568 

Stockraising and farming are the only industries yet introduced. The 
former is by far the most general. That it is already assuming compara- 
tively large proportions, will be seen from the fact that with a population 
of perhaps a thousand, there are in the county 24,845 cattle, 4258 sheep, 
1273 horses and mules. These are raised entirely on the range, thriving in 
summer on the wild millett and sedge grass, and in winter on the mesqutie, 
and increasing at the rate of thirty per cent for cattle and horses, and fifty 
per cent for sheep. 

The people claim that the county ranks with any in the State as a desira- 
1-le stock country; cattle and horses being always healthy, and sheep also, 
unless attacked with scab, which is likely to prevail amung flocks that are 
more or less neglected; ordinary care, however, will certainly prevent it. 
The yield of fleece varies from three and one-half pounds from common 
sheep to six or eight from higher breeds. Fort Worth is the nearest wool 
market. The average price of work horses is $35 per head; mules, $65, 
and oxen, $50 per yoke. 

Although the county is almost exclusively devoted to stockraising, farm- 
ing has been sufficiently tried to prove its practicability. Of its 900 square 
miles of rolling prairie, three-fourths is arable; the soil, red loam, mixed 
with clayey marl, which yields an average crop of 250 pounds of cot- 
ton per acre, 25 bushels of corn, 10 bushels of wheat, 75 bushels of sweet 
potatoes, 90 bushels of peanuts, 1£ tons of millett, and 1 ton of hay. Rye, 
barley, oats, and many of the garden vegetables have not yet been tried, 
but the yield of turnips, c«ons, peas, and melons is abundant, while peaches, 
plums, berries, and every variety of nuts find here a propitious soil and cli- 
mate. Agriculture is in its infancy in this county. The oldest farm is not 
yet five years old, and the few tracks under cultivation are small, varying 
from ten to one hundred acres. The farmers usually perform their own 
labor. Where hands are hired, they receive $25 per month, with board. 
The people are confident that farming will pay when the land has been 
placed under thorough cultivation. 

Archer has 100 sections of State school lands, and about 100,000 acres of 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — ATASCOSA COUNTY. 9 

county school lands. The price of wild lands, in the hands of private par- 
ties, varies from 50 cents to $2.50 per acre; terms, one-third cash. No cul- 
tivated land is offered for sale, and very rarely for rent. In the latter case, 
$2 an acre has been asked. 

The timber, which is confined chiefly to the southeastern portion, does not 
cover more than one-eighth of the whole area. It consists mostly of shoi t, 
scrubby oak, suitable only for fuel and fencing purposes, cottonwood, hack- 
berry, chittim, and mesquite. 

The west fork of Trinity river rises in the southeastern part; the Big 
Wichita flows across the northwestern corner, and the central portion is 
watered by the numerous tributaries of the Liitle Wichita. 

The rainfall is fairly good from October to June, but during the remain- 
ing months it is generally scant. Wells supply water for domestic purposes. 

Wild turkey is plentiful, and fat. Deer and anteLpj are sometimes 
found also. 

The climate is very healthy, the summer temperature averaging 75 deg., 
and the winter temperaiure 45 deg. A fanner from that county writes: 
"I consider this the healthiest county in the State. Only lour deaths havo 
occurred in two years." 

Isot a single crime of any magnitude has been perpetrated since the or- 
ganization of the county, and only two true bills of indictment have been 
found in that time. The sale of spirituous liquors is prohibited by the vote 
of the people, under the local option law. Three- public schools have been 
established, with an attendance of one hundred children. The only town is 
Archer City, which contains, perhaps, one hundred inhabitants. Kiman is 
a small settlement. 

The projected Fort Worth and Denver Railway, it is thought, will pass 
through the northeastern part of the county. The former city is the prin- 
cipal market at present, though some of the U\*de flows to St. Louis and 
Chicago. 

Copper has been discovered, and iron is found on the surface in great 
quantities, but no mining operations have yet been commenced. 

The county is not in debt. 



ATASCOSA COUNTY. 

The county of Atascosa lies immediately adjoining and south of Bexar. 

Population in 1870 2,915 

Population in 1880 4,217 

Assessed value of taxable property in l&o . - $764,070 

♦Assessment of 1870 not given because obviously incorrect. 



10 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 $208,557 

The International and Great Northern Railway barely touches its north- 
west corner, and furnishes convenient transportation to a portion of the 
county, and San Antonio is its nearest and chief trading point. It may be 
strictly termed a stock county, although by no means deficient in good 
farming lands. Its area is 1 2 JJ 4 square miles, about equally divided be- 
tween timber and prairie. About half the land is arable. The soil is, in 
large part, sandy, and easily cultivated. The timber is of medium size, and 
consists of live oak, post oak, elm, Cottonwood, pecan, and mesquite. The 
timber, except the mesquite, is confined mainly to the water courses and 
their valleys. The principal streams are the Atascosa river, and San Miguel, 
La Parrita, Sesteadero, Lagumillas, Palo Alto, Galvan, Lucas, Fortilla, and 
Turkey creeks. All the latter are small streams, with fertile, sandy bot- 
toms. Atascosa river runs through the county from northwest to south 
east, a distance of fifty miles, and is a never-failing stream; the rest are not 
unfrequently dry during a portion of the summer months. Water for do- 
mestic purposes is obtained from wells, cisterns, creeks, and tanks. During 
the dry season, wells from three to four feet in depth, in the creek bottoms, 
furnish abundance of good water. 

There are only about 7000 acres of land at present in cultivation, the 
farms averaging about 30 acres. The native grasses are abundant, nutri- 
tious, and almost perennial. 

The towns in the county are Pleasanton, the county seat, with a popula- 
tion of 430; Benton City, 150; Somerset, 100; RossviUe, 50; Campbellton, 
25. The cost of transportation to the seaboard is $1.35 per hundred 
pounds. 

The returns for the present year show a scholastic population of 707, with 
an attendance of about 75 per cent. There are three schools of the first 
grade, and ten of the second. 

The religious denominations embrace Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, and 
Episcopalians. The moral tone of society is good. 

No minerals have been discovered in the county except coal, which has 
been explored in several places, and a mine has been worked with some 
success in the northern part of the county. 

There are no local causes of disease, no epidemics, and the health of the 
county is good. The summer temperature is from 60 deg. to 95 deg. with 
a constant hreeze, which renders even the hottest days not very oppressive. 
The winters are very mild, the thermometer ranging from 30 deg. to 60 deg. 

Wild lands are worth from 75 cents to $1 per acre, dependent upon lo- 
cality and convenience to water. The wild lands, being sandy and mostly 
prairie, are easily reduced to cultivation. Cultivated lands are worth from 
$2 to $10 per acre, according to the size of the tract, locality, and quality 
of land. Lands under cultivation are usually rented on shares of the crop. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. AUSTIN COUNTY. 1 1 

The total county tax is 35 cents on the $100 — 20 cents general, 10 cents 
special, and 5 cents pauper tax. The debt of the county is about $2500, in 
scrip. 

The cost of preparing timbered land for the plow is from $5 to $10 per 
acre, according to the character of the timber and undergrowth. The cost 
of breaking prairie land is about $3.25 per acre. The average yield per 
acre, on the best lands, is about as follows: cotton, one-half bale; corn, 25 bush- 
els; oats, 40 bushels; sorghum, 100 gallons; Irish potatoes, 100 bushels; 
sweet potatoes, 300 bushels; peanuts, 300 bushels; hay, 2 tons. In ordina- 
rily favorable seasons, all the garden vegetables common to this State pro- 
duce well. New lands produce nearly a full crop the first year. Pasture 
fences cost about $90 per mile; farm fences, hog proof, about $200. The 
average price paid for farm laborers is about $22 per month, with board. 
Cotton and other surplus products are marketed chiefly at San Antonio. 
The average rainfall per year is about 35 inches, confined principally to the 
fall, winter, and early spring months. 

The live stock of the county comprises 13,693 cattle, 5984 horses and 
mules, 24,963 sheep, 2925 goats, 4792 hogs. The average weight of a three- 
year-old steer is 700 pounds, market price $20; of a five-year old, 900 pounds, 
market price $25 to $30. The annual increase of cattle is about 25 pet- 
cent; sheep, 50 per cent. Ordinary sheep and cattle require no feeding, 
even in winter, and are raised almost without expense. There are no 
special diseases which prevail among stock, and all kinds, indeed, are ex- 
ceptionably healthy. The average weight of fleece is about four pounds. 
As a stockraising county, and to a considerable extent agriculturally, Atas- 
cosa presents advantages that must attract, even with its present not over- 
convenient railway communication, increased population and capital. 



AUSTIN COUNTY. 

This county was chosen in 1821 by Stephen F. Austin, after he had ex- 
plored much of the country watered by the Guadalupe, the Colorado, and the 
lower Brazos, because it seemed to him the most inviting spot for the estab- 
lishment of his proposed colony. It was settled shortly afterwards by a 
band of fearless pioneers, many of whom became conspicuous in the subse- 
quent struggle with Mexico, and in the organization of the new republic. 

San Felipe, the only incorporated town at present in the county, was lo- 
cated and laid out by Austin and Baron de Bastrop in 1824. 

The semi-tropical features of the alluvial prairie, which may be designated 
as the gulf plain of Texas, gradually lose themselves among the undulating 
lands of Austin county, and the dense forests of the eastern section of the 
State here break into scattered groves or belts of timber, crossed by many 
streams of water. 



12 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Population in 1870 15,087 

Population in 1880* 14,429 

Population in 1882, estimated 18,000 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 C2, 647, 533 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881* 3,101,869 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 423,667 

About 20 per cent of the population are colored. 

Its area is 700 square miles. The Brazos river forms its eastern bound- 
ary, and the San Bernard a part of its western and southern boundary. Its 
other water-courses are Mill creek, with its east and west prong, Rocky, 
Piney, Ives. Clear, Dead Man's, Plump, Yellow, and numerous smaller 
streams. Many of these have a constant flow, and a sufficient fall of water 
to supply ample water-power for manufacturing purposes. 

Mills for the manufacture of cotton and woolen fabrics, and for the ex- 
traction of cotton seed oil, saw-mills, grist-mills, and farming implement 
factories are much needed, and would be paying investments. The only 
grist and saw-mills now in the county are operated by steam, in conjunction 
with cotton-gins. "Wagons and buggies are quite extensively manufactured. 
Two cigar factories, two beer breweries, and* one planing mill are also in 
successful operation. 

Nearly the entire area is arable, and about one fifth is under cultivation^ 
The lands aloi g the streams are of a deep reddish-brown soil, unsurpassed 
in fertility. The light and dark sandy loam, black waxy, "hog- wallow," 
and brown chocolate are the most productive among the varied soils of the 
uplands. In some portions, pebbly gravel is found; in others, soft and hard 
sandstone, clay, white and gray marl, interspersed with marine shells, pet- 
trifiecl wood, and some ferruginous freestone. 

A wide belt of post oak timber extends across the northern portion of 
the county from east to west, and furnishes good material for fence posts 
aud for other purposes requiring great durability. The mulberry is found 
also, and subserves a variety of domestic uses. The live, burr, pin, white, 
Hack, red, and water oaks all grow well, and are excellent for building and 
fencing. Elm, of the red and white varieties, is largely utilized for wagon- 
making. Black walnut is shipped to New York in considerable quantities, 
and yields a handsome profit. The pecan groves are valuable for their 
abundant and reliable crop of nuts, which sell for from eight to ten cents a 
pound, and become yearly more prized in northern and foreign markets. 
When given space to grow, spread, and mature, by cutting out undergrowth 
and neighboring trees, there are few more inviting industries than raising 
the pecan tree. Hickory, hackberry, cottonwood, and some scattered pine 
are also found. 

♦Waller count} was formed of portions of Austin and Grimes in 1S73. 



TEXAS BY CO UN TIES. — AUSTIN COUNTY 13 

T* T ild land can be bought in this county for from $1 to $10 an acre, ac- 
cording to location and quality The prairie lands are easily reduced to 
cultivation at a cost not exceeding $3 or $4 an acre; timbered land for $10 to 
$20, but the expense in the latter case is partly covered by the value of the 
timber Tracts, with a part in cultivation, and some improvements, are 
worth from $10 to $20 an acre; + erms, one-fourth to one-half in cash, the 
remainder on time Improved farms are rented at from $3 to $5 an acre. 
The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway Company offers tracts of forty 
acres as a bonus to actual settlers. Twenty sections of school lands are 
still unsold in Austin county They consist, for the most part, of good 
sandy loam easilv cultivated, but destitute of timber Lumbei can be 
bought for $20 per thousand for loblolly, and $26 for long leaf pine. From 
one-half to two-thirds of a full croo is considered about the average yield 
for the first vear of cultivation 

All the vegetables onimon to this latitude do wel in Austin county. 
Plums, persimmons, mulberries, pecans, hickory nuts, walnuts, am' black- 
berries grow wiid in great profusion Peaches, figs, and strawberries ma- 
ture well, and are of good flavor. Apples and pears can be raised under 
favorable conditions, but they are not a sure crop. All kinds of grapes, 
both wild and cultivated, grow luxuriantly, and bear fine fruit. The sandy 
soil, in many parts of the county, is well adapted to the growth of melons, 
which yield in large quantities Wheat has never been satisfactorily grown; 
rye only for pasturage, and barley not at all. Sugar, tobacco, and peanuts 
are limited to quantities sufficient for home consumption, although the soil 
is well suited to their growth. Cotton yields on an average, with proper 
cultivation, from one-third to three-fourths of a bale (500 pounds) to the 
acre. Some of the planters ship to Galveston over the Gulf, Colorado and 
Santa Fe "Railway, at a cost of $1.60 per bale; others sell directly to the 
nearest merchants Corn yields 30 to 40 bushels an acre, oats. 40 bushels; 
molasses, 75 to 100 gallons; sorghum, 75 gallons syrup, 20 bushels cf seed, 
and 3 tons of fodder, Irish and sweet potatoes, 150 bushels; miliett, 4 tons, 
hay, 2 tons The usual price of corn is from 40 cents to 75 cents a bushel; 
molasses, 50 cents to 60 cents per gallon; Irish potatoes, 50 cents to 75 cents 
a bushel; and sweet potatoes, 30 cents to 50 cents; hay, $10; and miliett, 
$20 a ton. Domestic fowl of all kinds thrive well, and could be made a 
source of considerable pi o fit, with the railway furnishing such ready and 
convenient access to market 

With an average sized family, a farmer growing his own vegetables, 
meat, milk, butter, eggs, poultry, fruit, sugar, molasses, vinegar manufac- 
tured from sorghum, and wine from grapes and tomatoes, together with 
sufficient feed for his stock for the short period of the year when feed is 
necessary, can live in comfort, and even luxury, with a very small expen- 
diture of money, the amount, of course, depending on his style of living. 

Stockraismg is carried on in conjunction with farming, seldom con&titu- 



14 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

ting an exclusive pursuit. There are in the county 33,208 cattle, 2944 
sheep, 8345 horses and mules, 6933 hogs. Horses used for work cost $40 
per head; mules, $60; oxen, $50 pec yoke. All kinds of stock are healtiily, 
if properly cared for. 

The grasses on the bottoms and the prairie are unfailing and abundant. 
The varieties most valued are fox grass, wiid rye, blue grass, mesquite, 
gamma, and, in cultivated pastures, Bermuda grass. Stock cattle and 
horses feed and do well on these grasses throughout the year. Sheep like- 
wise, except during the severest weeks of winter, when they receive a small 
daily feed of cotton seed. The average weight per annum of fleece is 4-| 
pounds; market price, 22 to 27 cents per pound. A three-year-old 
steer will average 450 pounds weight, and will bring a market price of $15; 
a five-year-old, 650 pounds, market price, $20 to $25. The natural increase 
of stock cattle is 25 per cent; sheep. 33£ per cent. 

The inhabitants are generally an unassuming, industrious, and contented 
people, working small farms, that do not average more than 60 acres each, 
raising small flocks a d herds, and winning an easy competence by their 
industry. A very few employ hired help. When outside labor is called 
into requisition, it is usually tenants who work on shares. Improved farm- 
ing implements are rapidly coming into general use. 

In lew communities are the accumulations of frugality and industry more 
equally distributed. Neither wealth nor poverty exist; but, in their stead, 
that moderate competency, which is the surest source of general content. 
A number of agricultural societies ha ^e been formed, and their good effects 
are manifested in the geHeral improvement of farming operations. 

The Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Christian, and Episcopalian 
churches number in the aggregate 25. The white children have 42 fre3 
schools; the colored 15. 

Bellville, the county seat, with a population of 800, enjoys the distinction 
of having the best school in the county. It has three grades, and as many 
teachers. The other villages are Industry, with about 200 inhabitants; Cat 
Springs, 150; New Ulm, 200; San Felipe, 100. Bellville, together with 
Sealy, a town of 150 inhabitants; Kinney, 75; Wallis, 50; Millheim, 100, 
are stations on the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, which traverses 
the county from north to south. 

Mechanics are numerous, and there is a good demand for their services. 
Wheelwrights and blacksmiths, for repairing farming implements, are found 
in every settlement. Farm hands receive from $18 to $20 a month, with 
board. The county debt is $3000, with interest at 10 per cent per annum 
since January 1, 1880, incurred for building a bridge. 

The county may be said to be healthy as a rule, especially in the up- 
land and prairie districts. Malarial fevers are sometimes prevalent along 
the river and creek bottoms, but they are seldom malignant, and yield easily 
to treatment, without the aid of a physician. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — BANDERA COtWTY, 15 

The rainfall is from 24 to 30 inches per annum. The summer and an- 
<umn are generally dry, but there is rarely, if ever, any scarcity of water, 
which can be obtained in quantities sufficient for all purposes from wells, 
cistens, springs, and streams. The maximum summer temperature aver- 
ages 80 deg., the winter 50 deg. The sea breeze, which sweeps up from 
the not far-distant gulf across the wide, flat prairie that intervenes, greatly 
modifies both the sensible heat of summer and the cold of winter. 



BANDERA COUNTY. 

In Bandera, although it forms part of the "high plains," the monotony 
of that level, treeless prairie is broken by rugged and mountainous scenery. 
The upper portion is crossed by ranges of mountains, covered with forests 
of cedar and a dense undergrowth. Many clear, rapid streams have their 
sources in these highlands, and flow down the wide valleys toward the 
southeast, forming the headwaters of the Medina and Frio rivers. The 
Hondo and Sabinal are the largest of these. The precipitous descent and 
strong, swift current of these streams present the most favorable conditions 
for utilizing water-power on a large scale, and, being situated in the midst 
of a fine wool-growing district, the opportunities for making the manufac- 
ture of wool a profitable business are unusually good. 

Population in 1 870 649 

Population in 1880 2,158 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $11 2,548 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 521,561 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 191,193 

Sheep-raising is the principal industry; 34,000 head keep fat all the year 
round on the abundant winter and curly mesquite grass of the prairies, sup 
plemented by sedge grass, and by the nutritious herbage of the mountain 
districts. They increase about 60 per cent per annum, and, owing to the 
favorable nature of the ground, the nutntive quality of the grasses, and the 
equable climate, they are subject to no disease, unless when scab is some- 
times introduced into a flock through carelessness. Four pounds is about 
the average weight of fleece from unimproved breeds, and five to six 
pounds from graded sheep. 

The hilly nature of the ground, in many parts of the country, and the 
character of the undergrowth, make the raising of goats a profitable invest- 
ment. As yet there are only 3372 in the county; they are of the common 
sort, not worth, on an average, more than 75 cents a head, but attention ia 



16 RESOURCES, SOIL, AM) (LI MATH OF 

being turned to the improvement of the breed. The other stock in the 
county number as follows: Cattle, 14,609; horses and mules, 2483; hogs, 
2376. For work stock, the prices average: Horses, $40; mule?, £75 per 
head; oxen, §45 per yoke. A three-year-old steer, weighing 450 pounds, 
brings a market price of £15; a five-year-old, weighing 600 pounds, $25. 
Stock cattle increase about 25 per cent a year, and require no feeding or 
sheltering, the only expense being marking and branding. 

Agriculture, though much neglected, and hitherto carried on in a small 
and very primitive way, is beginning to attract more attention since the 
adaptability cf the soil to cultivation has been proven. The county has 
1001 square miles. About 4000 acres of this, lying principally along the 
river bottoms, is at present under cultivation, in farms of an average acre- 
age of 25 acres. From one-fifth to one«-third of the entire ax*ea will, if 
properly tilled, yield good crops. The best farming lands consist of rich 
red or biack soil, with a yellow clay sub-soil. The average yield so far, 
raised without the help of improved implements, has been, one-half bale of 
cotton to the acre; 20 to 25 bushels of corn; 15 to 20 bushels of wheat; 
40 bushels of oats; 20 bushels of rye; 125 gallons of sorghum syrup; ISO 
bushels of sweet potatoes Very few Irish potatoes have been raised, but 
the indications are that they would grow well.. Barley, peas, peanuts, and 
millett yield a fair crop. Vegetables, peaches, apples, dewberries, and cur- 
rants all grow well. Pecans, grapes, and cherries yield abundantly in a 
'wild state. 

Wild land costs from $1 to £2 an acre. It is generally good, and yields 
easily to cultivation. There are 120,000 acres of school land in the county, 
generally of an inferior quality; only 1200 acres have been sold at £1 
an acre. Probably one-third of the county is covered with timber. Cedar 
grows to fine proportions, and clothes all the hillsides. The mesquite, livf 
oak, post oak, Spanish oak, blackjack, cypress, pecan, black walnut, syca 
more, elm, hickory, and hackberry are the principal growth, but are all 
more or less scrubby. The cedar is used for fencing and building, and is 
worth £50 per thousand, board measure. Post oak is also used for fencing, 
and is sold at a lower price. A good log house can be constructed fo: 
about £250. Land, with improvements on it, has brought, at recent sales 
from £8 tTo £12 an acre; terms cash. If rented, such land is generally let 
for one-fourth of the cotton and one-third of other crops. From £12 to £20 
per month is paid for white labor; £12 to £15 for black; £10 to £15 for 
Mexican. Cotton gins are as numerous as the interests of the growers of 
that staple require, and the toll for ginning is one-twelfth. 

Bandera is the only town; it has 600 inhabitants, and a good free school, 
which is conducted as a pay school during a portion of the year, and where 
the languages are taught in addition to the usual branches of an English edu- 
cation. Medina and Pipe Creek, small villages of 25 inhabitants each, ha-ve 
sprung up lately and are of considerable importance as centres for the grow- 



TEXAS J5Y COUNTIES. — BASTROP COUNTY. 17 

ing settlements around. Both are supplied with free schools. The scholas 
tic population in the county is 484, and the average attendance of children 
at the seventeen free schools is over 75 per cent. The Catholics and Metho- 
dists are the only religious denominations who have places of worship. 

San Antonio, fifty miles distant by good wagon road, is the nearest trad- 
ing point. Nearly all the cotton and wool raised in the county are mar 
keted there. Transportation is 40 cents per 100 pounds. No railways 
have yet been built through the county. 

Coal has been found cropping out in several places, but no mining op ra- 
tions or careful geological explorations have yet been made to ascertain 
whether it exists in paying quantities and quality. 

There is an ample and constant water supply in all parts of the county 
from rivers, creeks, and springs. It is also obtained from wells at 20 to 50 
feet. The rainfall is considered fairly good. In twenty years the corn 
crop has partially failed but three times on account of drought. 

Protected by the mountains in winter, and fanned by the constant south 
breeze in summer, the climate is all that could be desired, and the county 
remarkably healthy. 

Stonemasons, carpenters, blacksmiths, and wagon-makets are much in 
demand. 

Deer, turkey, rabbit, and squirrel are all plentiful. The stream are well 
supplied with fish, among which trout, perch, and black bass are most, 
numerous. 

The county is $8000 in debt. The county tax is 20 cents on $100. 



BASTROP COUNTY. 

This is one of the oldest counties in the State, the county seat, Bastrop, 
aaving been laid out by Austin in 1830. The Colorado river flows through 
.ts centre from northwest to southeast, dividing it nearly equally. From 
"ihe east, its tributaries are Alum, Pin Oaks, Piney, and Sandy creeks; from 
;he west, Walnut, Gazely, and Cedar. These streams and, in many locali- 
ties, bold springs, afford a good supply of water, while good well-water is 
obtained at a moderate depth. 

Population in 1 870 ! 12,290 

Population in 1880 17,215 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1 870 $2, 1 00,429 

Assessed value of taxable property in IS80 2.982.022 

One-third of the population is colored. 
2 



18 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

The area is 928 square miles, varied by undulating uplands, broken hilly 
country, alluvial bottoms, and "hog-wallow" prairie. Much the larger 
portion is heavily covered with forests of post oak, blackjack, pin oak, 
burr oak, live oak, pine, cedar, pecan, cotton wood, hackberry, elm, mul- 
berry, walnut, and wild peach. 

With the exception of the small portion of the county known as the 
"pine hills " and the "sand hills," the soil is generally good, and yields well 
to cultivation. The valleys and bottoms are rich alluvial soil, and are very 
productive. 

Stockraising is confined within narrow limits, and consists mainly in the 
raising of improved breeds in enclosed pastures. But this branch of the 
business has shown itself so profitable that increased attention is being 
devoted to it every year. Acclimation fever has proven very fatal to stock 
imported when full grown, but it does not affect young animals to any 
great extent. Native and acclimated stock are as vigorous and healthy as 
could be desired. They thrive especially well in the enclosed pastures 
along the river bottoms, where the mesquite and sedge grasses are abund- 
ant. To keep them in perfect condition, they require to be fed and shel- 
tered during severe winter weather. 

One-fourth of the county is under fence and one-fifth in cultivation. The 
farms in the Colorado river bottoms range in size from 100 to 200 acres. 
On the uplands, the acreage is smaller. The soil will produce an abundant 
yield of all the ordinary kinds of gai'den vegetables. Peaches, plums, 
grapes, en 1 dewberries flourish, and probably many other fruits that have 
not yet been tried would do well here, for the people are not yet old who 
can remember when it was the accepted belief that neither fruit nor vege- 
tables would do well in Bastrop county, and jerked beef, black coffee, and 
"corn dodgers" were, from the supposed necessities of the situation, the 
6taple diet of well-to-do citizens. Little by little all this has changed, and 
it is found that almost every fruit and vegetable of the temperate zone can 
be produced in abundance with small exertion. 

The bottom lands often yield a bale of cotton to the acre (the average of 
the county is from one-third to one-half bale), and all the usual farm pro- 
ducts of this latitude are grown with like success. 

Good timbered uplands can be bought for from 50 cents to $5 an acre. 
Farms, with a portion under cultivation, sell for from $5 to $30 an acre; 
terms part cash, the remainder in one, two, or three years with interest. 
Land is either rented on shares, for one-fourth of the cotton and one-third 
of other crops, or for from $3.50 to $4 an acre. 

Improved implements are very generally used, especially on the large? 
farms. 

Producers sell their cotton principally to the home merchants, who are 
very generally distributed at convenient distances throughout the county in, 
the towns and villages, of which Bastrop, the county seat, is the most popu-, 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. BAYLOR COUNTY. 19 

lous. It has 1700 inhabitants. Elgin, McDade, and Paige are much 
smaller towns, situated along the line of the western branch of the Hous- 
ton and Texas Central Railway, which traverses the upper portion of the 
county. Smithville and Red Rock are small settlements. 

Under the free school system of the State, sixty-eight schools are taught, 
for a scholastic population of 1592 white children and 1124 colored; and 
there are also three private high schools in the town of Bastrop, which are 
well attended. 

The Methodists, Catholics, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, German Luther- 
ans, and Baptists have each substantial churches. 

Cotton gins and grist mills, driven by steam, are established in every 
neighborhood. Good wagons and farming implements are manufactured. 

Outside of the occupations pertaining to farming interests and their 
mechanical necessities, no great demand for skilled labor exists. Farm 
laborers are paid from $12.50 to $15 per month, with board. 

Iron, sulphur, and lignite coal, in great quantities, have been found, but 
they have not been sufficiently explored and tested to determine their value. 

The climate is that common to central Texas mild, pleasant winters, 
occasional northers; long, dry, and hot summers, greatly modified by re- 
freshing gulf breezes, and, with every condition, conducive to health- 
fulness. 

The only things necessary to make Bastrop county one of the most thriv- 
ing and prosperous agricultural districts in America are a greater diversity 
of crops, for which the soil and climate present a wide scope. There is, 
perhaps, no spot on the face of this earth where an ample competency can 
be secured with less labor or enjoyed with greater peace and contentment. 
The county tax of 1 6f cents on $100 is sufficient to defray all the expendi- 
tures of the county as they arise, and consequently no county debt exists. 



BAYLOR COUNTY. 

Baylor is a new county, organized in 1879, lying in north latitude 33 
deg. 30 min., and west longitude 99 deg., on the headwaters of the Brazos 
river. Area of 900 square miles, diversified by low hills and wide valleys. 

Population in 1880 715 

Total assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $61 4,849 

Total assessed value of live stock in 1881 174,045 

About 95 per cent of the county is a broad prairie of sandy loam, carpeted 
with a luxuriant growth of mesquite grass, and here and there groves of 



20 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

scrubby mesquite trees. The sparse population is almost exclusively devoted 
to raising cattle and horses. There are in the county 21,621 cattle, 909 horses 
and mules, and 335 hogs. All the conditions are exceptionally favorable, 
and the industry bids fair to increase in extent and value yearly. The 
mesquite grass affords good grazing the year round, so that stock is raised 
without feed, and grow fat and increase rapidly. Water for stock purposes 
is plentiful and unfailing. Wells yield a good supply for domestic use, at a 
depth of 18 to 30 feet. The Salt Fork of the Brazos, the North Fork of the 
Wichita, and the main Wichita river flow through the county. These, together 
with numerous small streams emptying into them, distribute the water supply 
in every section, and furnish fish of the usual fresh-water varieties in abund- 
ance. Deer, antelope, and turkeys are the principal game, and are very 
plentiful. The school lands are those principally on the market, and are 
held at f 1 to $2 per acre, payable in twenty years by installments, with 10 
per cent interest. 

Agriculture has received so little attention in Baylor that the capabilities 
<>.f the oiunty in that direction cannot be justly estimated. The soil is gen- 
erally o: good quality, and about one-half the area is susceptible of cultiva- 
tion, but only 1000 acres have yet felt the edge of the plow, the average 
of farm.3 being about 20 acres. The experience of those who have attempted 
farming has been reasonably good. Twenty bushels par acre of corn have 
been raised. Two tons of prairie grass hay and the same of wild millett is 
the usual yield per acre, and it is believed that garden vegetables and many 
crops common to the Red River region would thrive here if properly culti- 
vated. 

Seymour, St. Bernard, and Round Timber, all situated on the Salt Fork 
of the Brazos river, are the only settlements in the county that may be 
termed villages. Seymour is the county seat. 

There are four free schools for a scholastic population of 123. 

The people are orderly and peaceable, and, as in most frontier counties, 
hospitable and kind to new-comers. The united advantages of a plentiful 
supply of water, uniformly distributed; grazing equal to any in the State; 
the protection to stock, afforded by the hills, against northers, and an atmos- 
phere invigorating and healthful in the highest degree, cannot fail to place 
Baylor in the first rank of stockraising counties. 



BEE COUNTY. 



Thp snn^Tiprn boundary line of Bee county is thirty miles northwest of 
the port oi (Jorpus Chnsti. Area, 88S square miles. 

Population in 1870 ,.. 1,082 

Population in 1880 (about 5 per cent colored) 2,298 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. BEE COUNTY. 21 

Assessed value of taxable proparty in 1870 $420,033 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,142,630 

Assessed value of live stock in 1S81 386,570 

Its surface is generally level prairie, with a soil of dark loam, interspersed 
with hog-wallow lands. Toward the central and northern part it breaks 
i.t) rolling prairie, and then into elevated ridges. 

Stockraising is the engrossing industry, and very few counties excel this 
in the luxuriance and abundance of its native grasses. 

The numerous small streams in all parts of the county afford a good sup- 
ply of stock water. The Blanco, Aransas, Medio, and Paesta rivers, and 
Tapalote creek are the principal of these. The timber covers about one- 
fourth of the whole area. It is small and of scrubby growth, suitable only 
for fuel and fencing, and consists chiefly of live oak, post oak, hackberry, 
iinagua, and a few other varieties. 

Until a few years ago, the rancheros wandered over these prairies with 
their flocks and herds in unrestricted freedom; but now it is becoming 
more customary to fence up pastures, and, in some cases, stockraisers are 
going to the expense of erecting shelter to protect their sheep from the 
northers and the wet seasons that sometimes occur. By increasing the ex- 
tent of enclosed pastures and sheltering and feeding sheep during severe 
weather, stockraising is becoming year by year more profitable. The intro- 
duction of improved breeds is growing more general, and stock is being con- 
stantly graded higher. The county has 39,613 head of cattle, 7626 horses 
and mules, 41,5S6 sheep, 1760 goats, and 2956 hogs, and some few goats 
of improved breeds, which do well. Except work stock, milk cows, and 
sheep, they obtain their entire subsistence on the range. Work horses are 
worth $30, and mules $40 a head; oxen, $40 a yoke. Very few oxen are 
used 

Of its area, probably two-thirds would repay cultivation; and of this not 
exceeding 2000 acres are taken up in farms, which are worth from $1 to $2 
an acre, with the cost of improvements added. From $1 to $2 per acre is 
the usual price of wild lands. Corn and cotton are the chief farm products. 
Garden vegetables make' two crops a year in favorable seasons, the fall gar- 
dens being the most satisfactory. Cotton will yield one-half bale to the 
acre; corn, about 20 bushels; Irish potatoes, 75 bushels; sweet potatoes, 100 
bushels; oats, 25 bushels; onions. 200 bushels; and peanuts melons, turnips, 
millett, and sorghum do well. Peaches, plums, figs, and some varieties of 
grapes do tolerably well when properly cultivated. Mustang grapes, Mexi- 
c ;n persimmons, currants, dewberries, anaguas, and hackberries are the 
mtive fruits. Deer, wdd turkey, and water fowl are very plentiful. Do- 
mestic fowl of all kinds are raised successfully. 

The trade flows chiefly to Galveston and New Orleans, but San Antonio, 
Caero, and Corpus Christi receive a portion. Three railways are projected 



22 KEsounrEs, soil, and climate of 

through the county — the New York, Texas and Mexican through the lower 
portion, and the main line of the Texas and Mexican, with a branch of the 
same from Fredricksburg to the coast. Steam and wind power are the only 
available motors; the former is applied to grist-mills, and the latter to 
pumping water from wells. 

Lumber is worth $28 per thousand at St. Mary's; from there the freight 
is $12 per thousand. 

Beeville, the county seat, is a small village. Mineral City, about the 
same size, is a health resort, on account of its medicinal waters. There are 
also a number of country stores, for the sale of general merchandise, at con 
venient points. 

For a scholastic population of 350, twenty free school communities art 
organized, and there are fifteen schools in operation, which are taught for 
four months in the year, and several of them are continued as pay schools 
for a longer period. 

Prohibition of the sale of spirituous liquors is strictly enforced under the 
local option law. Catholics, Baptists, and Methodists have erected churches. 
Other denominations are also represented. 

Carpenters and stonemasons are much in demand. Farm hands receive 
$15 per month and board. 

The county tax amounts to 15 cents on $100. 

The count} enjoys a delightful climate and exceptional healthfulness. 



BELL COUNTY. 

Belton, the county seat of the county, is 226 miles, by the line of the 
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, northwest of the port of Galveston. 
Area, 1025 square miles. 

Population in 1870 9,771 

Population in 1880 20,540 

Aggregate of assessed values in 1870 $1,660,035 

Aggregate of assessed values in 1881 4,199,515 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 527,915 

The western portion is mountainous, and covered chiefly with a growth 
of brown or mountain cedar. Along the numerous streams are wide belts 
of timber, consisting of ash, elm, hackberry, cottonwood. willow, and cedar; 
on the uplands, of post oak, and on the prairies and in the valleys of mes- 
quite trees. The valleys on the streams and near the foot of the mountains 
are broad and fertile. The Leon, Lampasas, and Salado rivers unite near 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. BELL COUNTY. 23 

the center of the county and form Little river, and are broad, bold, swift 
streams. In addition to these are Cowhouse, Nolan's, Stampede. Cedai 
Knob, Indian, and other creeks, which distribute over the county a bounti- 
ful water-supply. For drinking water, springs, wells, and cisterns' are all 
used. 

Much the larger part of the surface is a slightly i-olling prairie, with a rich, 
black, tenacious soil, that grows more loamy and less stiff, but loses nothing 
in fertility, as it nears the streams. The valleys and the high prairies are 
equally esteemed for farming, and produce per acre, of cotton, one-half to 
two-thirds of a bale; 25 to 35 bushels of corn; 1 to 15 of wheat; 60 to 90 
of oats; 30 to 40 of rye; 40 to 50 of barley, 100 to 150 gallons of sorghum; 
100 to 150 bushels sweet potatoes, and 2 to 3 tons of millett — of the last, in 
favorable seasons, two crcps a year. All kinds of vegetables are grown in 
great abundance, and peaches, plums, pears, and apples are raised success- 
fully in all parts of the county. 

Unimproved farming land is worth from $3 to $5 an acre, and improved 
farms from $10 to $2 5, according to location and the extent of the improve- 
ments. The rental of cultivated land is from $3 to $5 per acre, or for one- 
fourth of the cotton and one-third of the other crops. It is estimated that 
about 80,000 acres of the land has been reduced to cultivation. Improved 
farming implements are largely used. Ordinary fencing costs about $200 
a mile, and good pine lumber is worth from $25 to $30 per 1000 feet. 

Stockraising is generally combined with farming, and the latest assessment 
rolls (1881) show in the county 23,786 cattle, 22,450 sheep, 12,745 horses 
and mules, 9,490 hogs, and 282 goats. Live stock keep in good condition 
the year round on the rich mesquite grass, and is rarely fed in winter, ex- 
cept sheep, which, in severe winters, require some feed. In those portions 
of the county which are thickly settled, stock is generally kept in enclosed 
pastures, and the very rapid conversion of the best land into farms is re- 
ducing the area of open range. 

Work horses are worth from $40 to $65; mules, $60 to $100; oxen, $40 to 
$60 per yoke. Beef retails at from 5 to 7 cents; mutton, 5 to 8 cents; pork, 
6 to 8 cents; bacon, 12-J to 15 cents; corn, 50 to 75 cents; flour, $3.25 to $4 
per 100 pounds. Game is not abundant; catfish, buffalo, bass, perch, gasper- 
goo, drum, and other varieties of small fish are numerous in the larger streams. 

On the Leon, Lampasas, and Salado rivers are vast water-power and 
many fine mill sites. On the Salado are nine water-mills in as many miles, 
four of which are well equipped flouring mills of large capacity. The water 
power of these streams is believed to be sufficient for manufactories on a 
large scale. 

The Gulf. Colorado and Santa Pe Railway runs through the county from 
southeast to northwest, and has four stations, and the Missouri Pacific from 
north to south, with three stations. Freight charges to Galveston are 90 
cents per hundred pounds. Belton, the county seat, has a population ot 



21 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

3500; Salado, 900; Temple, 800; and there are a number of thriving villages 
with fron: 50 to 250 inhabitants each. Temple is at the junction of the 
Gulf, Colorade and Saata Fe Railway and the Missouri Pacific, and is the 
point of divergence of the Fort Worth branch of the former road. 

Surface indications of gold, silver, copper, and iron ore have been found, 
but the extent or value of the deposit is not known. Stone coal of good 
quality has also been found, and, it is believed, in paying quantities, but the 
vein has not been sufficiently explored to determine its extent. 

The scholastic population of the county is 3431, and every neighborhood 
has a free school. The colored race, forming less than 5 per cent of the 
population, are supplied with eight free schools. There are also a number 
of private schools of high grade, and a college at Salado that is largely at- 
tended, and has an able faculty. Bel ton controls the public free schools in 
its limits, and supplements the State apportionment by a special tax for 
school purposes. The Methodist, Baptist, Christian, Presbyterian, Episco- 
palian, and Catholic denominations have houses of worship, and the attend- 
ance of religious services is general. 

The county has no debt, the tax is 20 cents on the $100, and there is a> 
cash surplus in the county treasury. City tax of Belton, 25 cents on the 
$100. 

The population is hospitable and intelligent, peace and order prevail, aid 
the rights of person and property are protected. 

Having a general elevation of 700 feet above the sea level, the county is 
very healthy and its climate is mild and agreeable. 

The average rain fall, of about 36 inches per annum, is rather evenly dis- 
tributed throughout the year, and even partial failure of a crop from drought 
rarely occur. 



BEXAR COUNTY 

Lies midway between the Colorado and Rio Grande river?, in the heart 
of Southwestern Tex/;s, and contains an area of 1175 square miles. 

Population in 1870 16,043 

Population in 1880 30,470 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $ 5,491,730 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 10,462,522 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 287,782 

It is believed that the actual number of inhabitants in 18S0 was much in 
excess of that shown by the census tables, and that the rate of increase for 
the past two years has been even greater than that of the preceding decade. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. BEXAR COUNTY. 25 

The historic city of San Antonio, the county seat, is the commercial cen- 
tre of Western Texas, and receives, besides, a large and valuable overland 
Mexican trade. About one-third of the annual wool product of Texas finds 
a market there, the estimated receipts for the year 1882 being 7,000,000 
pounds. 

The county is divided in twain by what is known as the Chalk Cliffs, an 
elevated ridge, tending eastward from the Rio Grande, and turning to the 
northeast at a point seven miles north of San Antonio. North of this ridge 
the surface is broken, and presents a view of lofty hills, gentle slopes, dot- 
ted with live oaks here and there, and valleys of meadow land and prairie, 
the whole carpeted with luxuriant native grasses. The timber in the north- 
ern portion is live oak on the hills and high plateaus, post oak on the flats, 
and elm, walnut, pecan, and hackberry along the streams. To the south- 
ward, the country is gently undulating, with stretches of level ground, and 
relieved by occasional groups of hills, covered with mesquite, and along the 
river and creek bottoms, with pecan, elm, hackberry, sycamore, cottonwood; 
and on the Medina, with cypress. The average height of the county above 
the sea level is from 600 to 1100 feet, the highest elevations in the upper 
portion of the county reaching 1500 feet. 

The San Antonio, Medina, and Cibolo rivers flow through the county, 
the first named stream winding its torturous course through the city of San 
Antonio, and affording an abundant supply of water for domestic use, ex- 
tinguishing fires, irrigation, and motive power for mills and factories. Be- 
sides these rivers, there are the following creeks: The Leon, Culebra, San 
'ureronimo, Balcares, Olmos, Helotes, Elm, Medio, Salado, Calaveros, Chu- 
pederas, and Martinez. There are springs i many places, and pure whole- 
some water is to be had from wells, generally at a moderate depth. 

The timber on the uplands is small and stunted, and the growth is not 
dense, as in eastern forests, but presents generally a park-like aspect, a re- 
semblance which is heightened by the absence of undergrowth and by the 
smooth lawn of native grasses. On the bottoms the timber attains large 
size, while the mesquite on the uplands, which has sprung up of late years, 
is large enough for fuel and fencing. The entire area is arable, except a 
-mall portion near the headwaters of the streams, where the valleys are nor- 
■ow and the ranges of hills too rugged for cultivation. The native grasses, 
mesquite and sedge, are abundant everywhere, and furnish excellent pas- 
uirage; but for large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, the range has be- 
come too limited, owing to the number of farms and enclosed pastures. 

The prevailing soil is a friable black earth, very deep, with a limestone 
foundation, and occasionally interspersed with a chocolate and a reddish 
soil, and in the bottoms by a rich dark loam, all being very productive. The 
average yield per acre is, of corn, 25 bushels; cotton, half a bale; oats, 45 
bushels; wheat, 15, and sweet potatoes, 100. All fruits of the latitude, and 
garden vegetables of every variety, do well with careful culture. The gar- 



26 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

dens of San Antonio, and many farms below, are irrigated from the San 
Antonio river by canals and ditches, constructed by the Spanish founders 
of the city. With this exception, the farmers depend wholly on the rains 
for field and ga T den crops. The annual rainfall averages about 35 inches, 
and is distributed, as a rule, evenly enough to assure reasonably uniform 
crops. Not exceeding one-twentieth of the area is under cultivation. The 
price of wild lands is from $1 to $10 per acre, and that of improved lands 
generally double, and often treble, those figures. Cultivated lands are 
rented at from $2 to $5 per acre, or for one-fourth of the cotton and one- 
third of other crops. The irrigable lands on the San Antonio river are 
rented at $25 to $30 per acre. The usual rate of wages of farm labor is 
$12 to $15 per month, with board. Fencing material is found in the white 
limestone, which is abundant; in the cedar, which grows to a limited extent 
on the hills; post oak rails and pine lumber, the latter being worth $25 pei 
thousand feet. The limestone also furnishes a cheap and inexhaustible sup- 
ply of building material, being easily quarried and sawed into blocks. It 
becomes hard by exposure to the air, and is strong and durable. 

The cost of raising live stock is almost nominal, as neither winter feeding 
or shelter is necessary. The number of stock in the county is, 14,062 cat- 
tle, 9827 horses and mules, 19,536 sheep, 4226 goats, and 1316 hogs. 

The city of San Antonio contained, according to the United States cen- 
sus, 12,256 inhabitants in 1870, and 20,550 in 1880. It is believed that the 
latter returns fell far short of the actual number at that date, and that the 
population in 1882 exceeds 25,000. The older streets bear the impress of 
their Spanish origin, being narrow, crooked, and quaintly foreign in appear- 
ance. The modern, which constitutes far the larger portion of the town, is 
marked by handsome parks, broad avenues, stately mercantile houses, gas 
works, a street railway, water works, and church edifices of the several religious 
denominations. In its general aspect it presents the harmonious blending 
of old Spain with young America. The city constitutes a separate school 
district, and has four large ward schools and one central high school, all 
being taught in spacious, well ventilated stone buildings. Private schools 
are numerous, and, as a rule, are under the management of capable teachers. 

The Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio, and the Galveston, Houston 
and Henderson Railways connect San Antonio with the port of Galveston. 
The former is under construction westward to El Paso, with a branch to 
Eagle Pass, while the International and Great Northern penetrates Mexico 
at Laredo, thus affording three lines of communication direct to the Mexi- 
can border. The cost of transportation to Galveston is $4.50 per bale for 
cotton, 90 cents per 100 pounds for wool, and 70 cents per 100 pounds for 
hides. Much cotton is shipped to Mexico, but most of the trade flows to 
Galveston and New York. The total receipts by rail at San Antonio, of all 
articles of commerce during the year 1881 were 16,397 car loads, against 
6378 car loads in 1880. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. BLANCO COUNTY. 



27 



The total shipments of products and live stock for the years 1879, 18S0, 
and 1881, are shown by the following table: 



> 


a 

a 

o 

9 

a 


"3 

o 

■a 

5 

ft 


39 

s 

c 

o 
ft 


5 Sir 




Oj 

a 

o 

o 
d 


o 
d 


3 
ft 


a 

o 

C8 

M 

■a 
c 

3 

o 
ft 


'3 

5 

3 




2279 
30G0 
7972 


3,214,315 
3,955,223 

5,053,323 


2.3S3.932 
1,884,899 
1,561,260 


10,841,098 
6,782,659 

44,854,299 


647 
4411 

9848 


842 
132 
2048 


3818 
18,356 
35,995 




702,024 
745,350 
351,782 




1880 

1-.81 


578,802 
6,842,345 


1 
43 



San Antonio contains two large flouring anrl grist-mills, propelled by wa- 
ter power, and a number of manufacturing establishments operated by steam, 
— a piano factory, a cotton-seed oil mill, two cement factories, two iron 
foundries, a large tannery, two wagon and ambulance factories, and several 
cotton gins. Below the city is a wool cleaning and scouring establishment, 
and a flouring mill, both of large capacity, and driven by the water power of 
the San Antonio river. 

The county and city taxes are at the rate of about 90 cents each on the 
$100. The county has a bonded debt of about $280,000, and a floating 
debt of $40,000. 

Situated above the region of malaria, Bexar county enjoys exceptional 
healthfulness. Invalids, especially those suffering from consumption and 
kindred diseases, flock thither in large numbers. The winters are so mild 
that the flowers often bloom in the open air in January, and the summer 
heat is greatly modified by the perennial Texas trade-winds from the Gulf 
of Mexico. 



BLANCO COUNTY. 

Blanco, the county seat, is about 45 miles south of west of the city of 
Austin. 

Area of the county, 713 square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,187 

Topulation in 1880 (150 colored) 3,583 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 621 3,499 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 810,378 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 243,291 



It is a mountainous country, traversed by high, rugged hills, and wide, fer- 



28 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

tile valleys, and having also considerable table-land. About one-tenth of 
the area is covered with timber, which is mainly short, and composed of live 
oak, post oak, white oak, elm, hickory, cedar, cypress, and black walnut. 
Blanco river and its tributaries water the southern, and the Pedernales and 
its tributaries the central and northern portion. The latter is a bold moun- 
tain stream, with scenery which occasionally assumes a character of wild- 
ness and grandeur. Both rivers, though small, are never failing, and the 
valleys are excellent farming lands, on which garden vegetables, melons, 
and fruit grow well; and with proper culture cotton yields half a bale to the 
acre; corn, 25 bushels; wheat, 12; oats, 70; rye, 20; barley, 40; sweet 
potatoes, 200; and millett, 2 tons. 

The soil is diversified by a light sandy and a chocolate loam in the upper, 
a black lime soil on the table-Ian d, and a dark and chocolate loam in the 
valleys of the lower portion of the county. The underlying rock forma- 
tions of the county unmistakably indicate the portions suited to agriculture 
as distinguished from those more especially adapted to pasturage. All 
southward of the high dividing ridge, midway between the Blanco and the 
Pedernales rivers, rests on a limestone substratum. In this section, embrac- 
ing about one-fifth of the entire area, is found the farming lands, whilst 
northward of the line mentioned, sandstone is the prevailing formation, and 
here stockraising is the more profitable industry. The number of stock in 
the county is, of cattle, 18,869; of sheep, 85,713; of horses and mules, 
5536; of goats, 941, and of hogs, 3855. 

The grasses are equally divided between the long and the curly mesquite, 
and the sedge, the former being the more valuable. It is the general cus- 
tom to depend entirely on the range for the subsistence of all kinds of stock, 
though a few thrifty stockraisers feed sheep during exceptionally severe 
seasons, and find thenueves well repaid in the higher per cent of increase 
and the superior weight of fleece. The annual increase of sheep is about 
50 per cent, of stock cattle, 33^ per cent. Sheep are not subject to any 
disease, and yield, on an average, 5 pounds of wool per annum, which is 
usually sold in Austin or San Antonio. Goats have only been raised in 
small numbers, but the rugged nature of much of the country, and its herb- 
age, are especially favorable to their growth. Pasture land can be bought 
for $1 an acre; good farming land, part in cultivation, for $8 to $12, and 
wild land, suitable for tillage, for $1 to $2.50. There is a large quantity 
of school lands in the county, held at a minimum price of from $1 to $2 per 
acre. 

No careful minerological explorations have been made, but indications of 
coal and copper are abundant; marble and granite are found, and soapstone 
(steatite), of workable quality, exists in inexhaustable quantities. 

The manufacturing interests are represented by 3 flouring mills, 6 corn 
mills, 7 cotton gins, and factories of small capacity for turning out wagons 
and farming implements. Water power can be easily and cheaply obtained, 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — BOSQUE COUNTY. 29 

but not on a large scale. At present there is no railway communication, 
except by the International and Great Northern, which passes within about 
30 miles of the county seat. The Texas Western Railway is projected 
through the county from east to west, and is under construction. Freight 
by wagon to the nearest railway station is 40 cents per hundred, and to 
Galveston from Blanco City it- is $1.25 per hundred. 

Blanco, the ccuity seat, has 800 inhabitants, and an aggregate annual 
trade of $150,000. Round Mountain, in the northern part, has 150 inhab- 
itants, and a trade of $75,000 per annum. A considerable number of Ger- 
mans have settled in the county. The Baptists, Christians, and Methodists 
are the only denominations having houses of worship. Pour hundred and 
fifty children attend the public free schools, of which there are 20. Blanco 
City has a graded private school and two other private schools. 

The county has a small floating debt, and the county tax is 25 cents on 
the $100. 

The climate is pleasant and salubrious; indeed it may be said to be noted 
for health. The summer temperature averages 85 deg., the winter 40 deg. 
The annual rainfall is from 25 to 30 inches, chiefly confined to the autumn, 
winter, and spring, for which reason early planting is found to be indispen- 
sable to secure uniformly good results in agriculture. 

The people are orderly and law-abiding, and no county in the State has, 
in proportion to population, fewer criminal cases in the courts. 



BOSQUE COUNTY 

Is situated just within the lower limits of that distinctively wV on throw- 
ing region which has given to Northern Texas a just claim to be termed 
the granary of the State. Area, 1041 square miles. 

Population in 1870 4,981 

Population in 18a0 11,217 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $ 772,586 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 2,576,30 1 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 399,505 

Meridian, the county seat, is 280 miles, by the line of the Gulf, Colorado 
and Santa Fe Railway, northwest of the gulf port of Galveston. The 
county is bounded on the northeast by the Brazos river for a distance of fifty 
miles, and is traversed nearly centrally by the Bosque river. Bold hills, 
rolling prairies, rich, alluvial valleys, post oak and cedar timbered uplands, 
and the numerous streams flowing into the Brazos and Bosque rivers, fringed 



30 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

with pecan, live oak, and walnut, all combine to lend a great diversity to 
the face of the country. The tributaries to the rivers mentioned are: 
Meridian, Boggy, Childress, Corn, Duffau, Rough, Hill, Neill's, and Steel's 
creeks. Springs are numerous, and wells of pure limestone water are easily 
obtained. Cisterns are also used to a considerable extent. Farming and 
stockraising principally engross the attention of the inhabitants. Certain 
portions of the county are favorable, in a high degree, to both of these in 
dustries. About one-third of the area is adapted to farming purposes. The 
soil is black and stiff on the uplands, and a dark sandy alluvial in the Bra- 
zos and Bosque valleys, the former being best adapted to the cereals, and 
the latter to cotton, corn, fruits, and vegetables. Of the arable lands, about 
one-tenth is in cultivation in farms averaging 60 acres. The usual yield 
per acre of the best lands, under favorable conditions, is, of wheat 15 bushels: 
corn, 25; oats, 40 to 50; cotton, half a bale. Sorghum, Irish and sweet 
potatoes, and vegetables of all kin. Is are easily raised, but only in quantities 
sufficient for home consumption. Peaches, plums and apples of the early kinds 
are successfully grown. The pecan crop is usually large, and pecan orchards 
could be made very profitable with 1 ttle labor and expense. A large por- 
tion of the wheat grown in the county is converted into flour at the home 
mills, which are numerous, of large capacity, and using all the latest im- 
provements. Unimproved prairie land sells for from $1 to $2 per acre; 
valley land for $5. Tracts with a portion in cultivation, and some improve 
ments, vary from $5 to $10 per acre; the usual terms one-third cash anc" 
the remainder in easy payments. The rental for cultivated land, with 
houses for tenants, is usually $3.50 per acre, or for one-fourth of the cot- 
ton and one-third of other crops. The annual rainfall is about thirty 
inches, and generally much greater in the fall, winter, and early spring 
than in the summer. But with early planting and deep and thorough plow- 
ing, the fresh virgin soil can be counted on for a fair yield nine years in 
ten, and the tenth not an entire failure. 

There are 33,435 sheep in the county, and the grasses for pasturing them 
are nutritious and plentiful. They increase about 66f per cent, and average 
four pounds of wool per annum. The cattle number 22,490; horses and mules, 
9506; and hogs, 5588. Stock cattle and horses require little or no feed in 
winter. Work horses are worth $40 per head; mules, $75; oxen, $40 per 
yoke. The last are not much used. 

The Brazos, Bosque, and several of the smaller streams have suffici-ent fall 
to supply water power, but no effort has yet been made to utilize it. 

The junction of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe with the Texas Central 
Railway at Morgan, in the northeastern part of the county, the one run- 
ning through from east to west and the other from south to north, supplies 
convenient railway communication. The larger part of the trade centifs at 
Galveston, to which point transportation costs $1 per hundred. A snaller 
proportion flows to Waco. Meridian, the county seat, on the Gulf Colo- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. BOWIE COUNTY. 31 

rado and Santa Fe Railway, has 600 inhabitants. Clifton, Kopperl, and 
Valley Mills, on the same line, have each 300; Fowler, Walnut Springs, 
and Iredell, on the Texas Central, have 250 each, and Morgan, 500. 

There are 57 public free schools for white children and 3 for colored, 
with a scholastic population of 1856, and an average attendance of 75 per 
cent. There are besides several private schools, some of which are of high 
grade. There are many churches, and the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, 
Christian, and Lutheran denominations have church organizations. 

The finances of the county are in a good condition; its taxes 40 cents on 
the $100. 

The general health of the county is very good. 



BOWIE COUNTY. 

This county lies in the extreme northeastern corner of the State. Area, 
915 square miles. 

Population in 1870 4,684 

Population in 18S0 10,965 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $ 865.175 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1880 2,342,097 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 207,441 

j. he St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railway terminates at Tex- 
arkana, on the eastern boundary line of the county, and also of the State, 
connecting there with the Transcontinental and the Jefferson divisions of the 
Texas and Pacific, and also with the Texas and St. Louis, and through 
them, with the net-work of railways spreading over the State. 

It is a beautiful woodland county, having the Red River for its northern 
and the Sulphur Fork for its southern boundaries. From the valleys of 
these rivers, the land rises in successive swells towards the centre, forming 
a water-shed, from which all the streams in the county flow either south or 
north, with a somewhat easterly trend. Dense forests of oak, of several 
kinds, and yellow pine, equal in quality to any in the South, cover nine- 
tenths of the county. According to the United States Forestry Bulletin of 
1880, there were standing in the county 2,380,800,000 feet, board measure, 
of yellow pine (pinus mitis). Interspersed with these are every species of 
timber common to this latitude, except poplar and chestnut. In the Red 
River and Sulphur Fork bottoms, cypress, cedar, hickory, and black walnut 
grow in quantities sufficient to supply the demand for years to come. A 
dozen or more steam saw-mills, of large capacity, are engaged in manufac- 



32 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

turing lumber, of which millions of feet are turned out annually. The 
multiplied railway connections, with the immense treeless plains of Western 
Texas, as well as the only less-inviting markets north, east, and south, 
give reasonable assurance that the lumber trade of the county must rapidly 
expand to much larger proportions. The only drawback to these excep- 
tionable advantages in the prosecution of the lumber trade is the absence 
of water-power. The Reu River and the Sulphur Fork (both navigable 
streams a portion of the year), and their tributaries, furnish an ample sup- 
ply of water, but no water-power. Springs of pure water are numerous 
and unfailing. The average rainfall is about 44 inches, and is pretty evenly 
distributed throughout the year. At least 75 per cent of the area is good 
farming lands, and the remainder affords fine pasturage during nine months 
of the year. The soil on the uplands is a light, and that ab>ng the rivers a 
deep red or black loam, and very productive. Peaches, apples, pears, straw- 
berries, raspberries, figs, and grapes find -here a congenial soil and climate. 
The yield per acre of the chief crops grown is, cotton, half a bale; corn, 25 
bushels; wheat, 10; rye, 15; barley, 30; Irish potatoes, 100; sweet potatoes, 
300; molasses, 200 gallons; sorghum, 75; hay, 2 tons. Corn usually sells 
for 75 cents per bushel, wheat, $1, beef, 4 cents per pound, and bacon, 12 
cents. 

Only about 5 per cent of the land is yet taken up in farms, which aver- 
age 40 acres each. Seventeen thousand acres of State school lands 
and 0000 acres of county school lands remain unsold. They will com- 
pare fairly well with other wild lands in the county. From $1 to 
S5 per acre is the price of wild land. Tracts with a portion in culti- 
vation, and comfortable buildings, can be bought at from $5 to $8 an 
acre, and rented at from $2.50 to $3 an acre, or for one-fourth of the cotton 
and one-third of other crops. Pasturage is good in summer, but stock re- 
quire feeding during three months of the year. The cattle in the county 
number 11,950; horses and mules, 3148; sheep, 936; goats, 245; hogs, 
30,042. Work horses are worth $50 per head; mules, $75; oxen, $G0 per 
yoke. Domestic fowl of all kinds are raised to advantage. Deer, turkey, 
■and squirrel are abundant, and a few bears are still to be found. Catfish, 
buffalo, trout, salmon, and perch are numerous in the streams. 

Surface indications of coal and iron are found in many localities, but no 
thorough explorations have been made. 

Texarkana, the half of which lies in Arkansas, the State line passing 
through its centre, is the chief town in the county, and has a population of 
about 2500. It has a steam compress and large stock yards. The aggre- 
gate trade is about $2,000,000. Manufactories for wagons and for earthern- 
ware have recently been established there and both are succeeding well. 
The immense timber resources and excellent transportation facilities would 
seem to indicate that manufactories for turning out all kinds of wooden 
articles for domestic use, and also agricultural implements, would find here 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — BRAZOIUA COl .MV. 06 

an inviting field. For the same reason and the additional one of proximity 
to the inexhaustible hide supply of the State, tanneries must soon attract 
attention. The other principal towns are Dolby Springs, 200 inhabitants; 
annual trade, $25,000; New Boston, 300; trade, $50,000; DeKalb, 400;. 
trade, $100,000. There are twelve railway stations in the county. The 
trade is at present divided between Galveston, New Orleans, and St. Louis. 
Freight rate to Galveston, the nearest point on the seaboard, is 65 cents per 
hundred weight. 

The county has 48 public free schools, including those for colored chil- 
dren, for a scholastic population of 1929, which are kept open for four 
months during the year. Churches have been erected in the towns and 
villages by Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians. 
In the country, church conveniences are not so ample, but the moral and 
religious tone throughout the county is good. 

The county is not in debt, has a large balance in the treasury, and the 
county tax is twenty cents on the hundred dollars. 

The mean maximum temperature in summer is 86 deg., the mean maxi- 
mum in winter, 40 deg. The health of the county is. as a rule, very good, 
cvith the occasional exception of malarial attacks of a mild and easily con- 
trolled type. 



BRAZORIA COUNTY. 

Brazoria county has for its southern boundary the Gulf of Mexico, and 
cs bisected longitudinally by the Brazos river. 

Population in 1870 . 7,527 

Population in 1880 (three-fourths colored) 9,774 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,746,182 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S81 . 2,365,327 

Assessed value of live stock in 18S1 378,511 

The general surface rises gradually from the gulf shore, and about one- 
third of the rrea of 1476 square miles is timbered, the balance being nearly 
level or undulating prairie. 

The broad bottoms of the Brazos and San Bernard rivers, Oyster creek, 
and Chocolate, Austin, and Bastrop bayous, are covered with dense forests, 
consisting chiefly of live oak, mulberry, pin oak, burr oak, Spanish oak, wal- 
nut, pecan, ash, elm, box elder, magnolia, cottonwood, and sycamore. The 
live oak especially is very abundant and of large size. The proximity of 
Ihese live oak forests to the deep and spacious harbor at the mouth of the 
3 



34 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Brazos would seem to indicate this locality as exceptionally favorable for 
the establishment of ship yards on an extensive scale. Practically, the en- 
tire county may be said to be arable, though in fact the part mainly de- 
Voted to agriculture is the timbered section. Of these, the bottom lands of 
the Brazos and San Bernard rivers, and Oyster creek, are most esteemed, 
the soils of which are a reddish brown alluvium, interspersed with a dark 
brown, and a heavy, tenacious soil known as elm flats, all of great depth 
and durability. The soil and climate are especially adapted to the growth 
of sugar cane, which attains a large size and is very rich in saccharine 
matter. The Sugar Bulletin for 1880 gives the number of acres in sugar 
cane at 3358, the yield from which was 2240 hogsheads of sugar and 
175,530 gallons of molasses. The average production is believed to have 
increased within the last four years, and is now set down at one hogshead 
of sugar and two to three barrels of molasses to the acre; corn, from 30 to 
35 bushels; oats, 40; and cotton, three-quarters of a bale. Peaches, grapes, 
figs, strawberries, and oranges are successfully grown, and every vegetable 
common to this latitude is raised in profusion. The pecan-nut crop is 
usually large, and sells readily at remunerative prices. 

The prairies have a rich black lime soil, and with drainage, for which 
there are good facilities, are only less productive than the alluvial bottoms 
for all crops except sugar. They are covered with many kinds of valuable 
grass, which grows with tropical luxuriance. Wild prairie land is worth 
from 50 cents to $1 per acre; timbered land, from $1 to $5; improved 
tracts, with necessary houses, from $5 to $15 per acre. Where there are 
sugar houses and machinery, the price is increased in proportion to the value 
of these fixtures. Cultivated land rents for from $3 to $5 per acre, or for 
©ne-fourth and one-third of the crop. 

There are in the county, according to the assessment rolls of 1881, 5952 
liorses and mules, 39,316 cattle, 1144 sheep, and 3526 hogs. Stock requires 
no feed, and is raised entirely on the open range. In the salt marshes on the 
coast they keep sufficiently fat for market the entire winter. Work horses 
can be bought for $50; mules, $70 to $100; oxen, $60 per yo*ke. At retail 
beef is worth 5 cents per pound; mutton, 6 cents; pork, 7 cents; bacon, 14 
cents; corn, 50 cents per bushel; flour, from $7 to $10 per barrel. Deer, 
turkeys, ducks, geese, squirrels, and prairie chickens are plentiful, and bear 
are often found. The waters, both salt and fresh, are well supplied with 
fish; and along the coast, oysters, crab, and shrimp are obtained in large 
quantities. 

Houston and Galveston are the principal markets, and convenient trans- 
portation is afforded by the International and Great Northern Railway, 
which extends to Columbia; and by the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, passing 
through the northern part of the county; and by the Brazos river and canal, 
•through West bay, to Galveston; and by the San Bernard and Oyster creek, 
and the several bayous, which are all navigable. Sandy Point, China 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — BIIAZOS COUNTY. .j-> 

Grove, Chenango, Oyster Creek, and Columbia are stations on the first, and 
Alvin, Mustang, and Chocolate on the last named railway. Brazoria, the 
county seat, has a population of about 800; Columbia, 1000; Velasco and 
Quintana, at the mouth of the Brazos, 100 and 150; Sandy Point, 150; and 
Liverpool, 100. 

Some six miles west of northwest from Columbia is a plateau of about 
ten acres, called Damon's Mound, rising up sixty feet from the surrounding 
level prairie, which is here thirty feet above the sea level. It is covered by 
a fertile soil, with a red clay foundation, resting on a stratum of shale,, 
which is richly charged with sulphate of iron, magnesia, lime, and other- 
salts usually found in mineral waters emerging from slates. This shale, 
disintegrated and steeped in water, is believed to possess medicinal proper- 
ties of great value. The lowest stratum is a compact limestone, yielding a, 
good quality of lime. 

The Brazos river affords tide-water navigation for sixty miles above its 
mouth. The United States government has undertaken to deepen the 
natural channel of eight feet across the bar at its mouth, so as to admit the 
largest sea-going vessels. On this work $80,000 have already been ex 
pended with satisfactory results, and a further and larger appropriation 
having now been made, complete success would seem to be only a question of 
a very few years. The width and extent of deep water in the river are such 
as to afford to the largest vessels a spacious, land-locked harbor. 

The scholastic population is 1813, for which there are fifty-one public free 
schools, with an average attendance of about seventy per cent. There are 
also a limited number of private schools, which are moderately well sustained. 

The Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, and Episcopalian denomi- 
nations all have organized churches in the county. The moral tone of soci- 
ety is general good, and law and order prevail. 

The floating debt of the county is very small, and the bonded debt (rail- 
way subsidy) amounts to $69,000. The general and special county taxes, 
aggregate forty-five cents on the hundred dollars. 

The climate is equable and healthy, especially in the prairie sections, the 
air being cooled and purified by the almost constant gulf breezes. In the 
heavily timbered bottoms there is, in summer and fall, more or less malaria,, 
but little sickness of a serious character. 



BRAZOS COUNTY 

[s situated in the southern portion of Central Texas, about one hundred 
and fifty miles, by the line of the Houston and Texas Central, connecting 
with the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Kail way, northwest of tha 
port of Galveston. 



36 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Population in 1870 9,205 

Population in 1880 (46 per cent colored) 13,576 

Aggregate of assessed values in 1870 $1,697,867 

Aggregate of assessed values in 1S81 '-',1 69, 064 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 227,975 

Its area is 519 square miles, of which nine-tenths is arable land, and of 
this not more than one-tenth is in cultivation. The farms are generally 
small, although there are many large, well equipped cotton plantations. It 
is nearly equally divided between timbered and prairie land, and whilst the 
latter is specially adapted to grazing, it is more easily and cheaply reduced 
to cultivation, and is very productive. 

The Brazos river forms the southwestern, and the Navasota the eastern 
boundary; and the wide bottoms of the Brazos are noted for their reddish 
brown alluvial soils, whilst the uplands and prairies furnish the black waxy, 
the dark, and the light sandy lands. The other principal streams, namely, 
Cedar, Thompson, Wickson's, Peach, and Carter creeks, contribute their 
large quota to these fertile alluvial lands, besides distributing the water- 
supply, which is supplemented by lakes and tanks very generally over the 
surface of the county. For domestic purposes cistern water is preferred, 
and generally used, although good drinking water is also obtained from 
wells at a depth of twenty-five to thirty feet. Of the timbers, post oak pre- 
dominates, but cedar, pecan, elm, pin oak, ash, hickory, locust, black wal- 
nut, and blackjack are also abundant, and are of large growth. "Wild 
grapes, pecan nuts, hickory nuts, blackberries, and dewberries grow in 
great profusion. The principal native prairie grasses are the mesquite and 
sedge, which are always a sure and valuable crop. 

The usual yield per acre is, of cotton, one- third to one-half of a bale; corn, 
35 bushels; wheat (but little sown), 10; rye and barley, in a small way for 
winter pasturage; cane mo. asses (only for family consumption), 200 gallons; 
sweet potatoes, 300 bushels; Irish potatoes, 100; millet, 3 tons; tobacco, 
raised for home use only, but large yield. All the vegetables common to 
the latitude are successfully raised. The soil is favorable to peaches, figs, 
and plums, but early apples and pears do only moderately well. The mean 
annual rainfall is about thirty-five inches, and is so distributed through the 
year that not exceeding one year in ten are crops cut short by drouth. 

Wild lands can be bought at from $1-50 to $5 per acre. Uplands, with 
a portion of the tract in cultivation, and the necessary farm houses, are 
held at $3.50 to $10 per acre, ■"■ hilst the bottom lands range from $8 to 
$20, according to quality and location and the character of the improve' 
ments. 

Common rail fencing costs, labor included, about $90 per mile;- lumber, 
$18 per thousand feet. The money-rent for cultivated land, with houses 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. BRAZOS COUNTY. 37 

for tenants, is from $2.50 to $5 per acre; on shares, with everything ex- 
cept food furnished to tenants, one-half the crop; for the land and houses, 
the tenant pays one-fourth of the cotton and one-third of other crops. Farm 
hands are paid from $10 to $15 per month, with board. Steady, reliable 
agricultural labor is in great demand. 

The Houston and Texas Central Railway passes through the county al- 
most centrally from south to north, and Bryan, the county seat, Millican, 
Wellborn, and College Station are the railway stations. The rate of freight 
to Galveston, the nearest gulf port, is $■) per bale for cotton, and 40 to 60 
cents per hundred pounds for general freight. 

Bryan has a population of about 3000, and is steadily increasing in the 
volume of its trade and mechanical industries. In 1881 the shipments of 
cotton from that point were 23,500 bales, besides cattle, wool, hides, cotton 
seed oil, and agricultural implements, the total value aggregating $1,200,000. 
The sales of general merchandise for the same year are estimated at $1,250,- 
000. One cotton seed oil mill, one large cotton gin and mill factory, two 
planing mills, and four cotton gins, driven by steam, and two large car- 
riage and wagon factories, a saddletree, and a furniture factory, are the 
chief manufacturing industries, and are prosecuted with success. 

Although stockraising is rarely followed as a separate business, horses, 
mules, cattle, sheep, and goats are raised in large numbers and at small ex- 
pense. They require to be fed little, if at all, in winter, and their market 
value pays an enormous percentage on the cost of production. Hogs keep 
in good order the year round, especially in the heavily timbered districts. 
The assessment rolls of 1881 credit the county with 14,271 cattle, 4447 
horses and mules, 2637 sheep, and 9339 hogs. 

There are 52 free schools in the county, which are kept open from three 
to four months in the year, with a fair average attendance. These are ap- 
portioned between the white and colored children, according to the relative 
numbers of scholastic age. There are besides several private schools of 
acknowledged merit. At College Station, on the Houston and Texas Cen 
tral Railway, is located the Agricultural and Mechanical College, a branch 
of the State University, liberally endowed by the State, and also in part 
by the United States government. This institution not only furnishes in. 
struction without charge to all its students, but board as well to ninety- 
three students, selected by competitive examination from the thirty-one sen- 
atorial districts of the State. Under its present able management, it is 
successfully carrying out the useful purposes of its creation, and promises 
to accomplish much good in the future. 

Churches of the several religious denominations are numerous, not only 
in the towns, but in the rural districts, and are fairly well attended. Bryarj 
has ten church buildings, four of which belong to the colored people. 

Thp general health, especially on the uplands is good; on the river bot- 
toms malarial attacks occasionally occur, but are seldom serious in their 
character. 



38 KESOUKCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



BROWN COUNTY 

Population in 1870 . . 544 

Population in 1880 (H per cent colored) 8,414 

Assessed value of taxable property in 188] $1,565,213 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 341,899 

This county lies between 31 deg. 20 min. and 32 deg north latitude; and 
Brown wood, the county seat, is about 120 miles northwest of Austin, the 
capital of the State. The general surface is diversified by valleys of from 
two to eight miles in width along the numerous streams, and by ranges of 
hills from 100 to 300 feet in height. Three-fouiths of its area of 1207 
square miles is covered with timber, consisti g of, perhaps, one-half post oak 
and young mesquite, and the remainder live oak, Spanish oak, cottonwood, 
elm, hackberry, and pecan. The last named tree is especially valuable for 
its nuts, the pecan crop of the county in 1880 being estimated at 20,000 
bushels, which sold at an average price of $1.50 per bushel. 

The Colorado river forms its southern boundary for 35 miles, and Pecan 
bayou runs from northwest to southeast diagonally through the county a 
distance, estimating its meanderings, of about 100 miles. There are, be- 
sides these, Jim Ned, Salt, Clear, Turkey, Hog, and Blanket creeks, all 
large streams, and none of which have ever been known to be without 
water, and David's, Delaware, Mullen, Brown, Pompey, Briar, Mesquite, 
Devil, Mud, Buffalo, and Indian creeks, which, in very dry seasons, some- 
times cease to run. though they rarely go dry. For domestic purposes, cis- 
terns and wells are generally used, water of the best quality being obtained 
at a depth of 25 to 60 feet. Bold springs are not common, but some are 
found. 

About one-half of the land is arable, and the soils considered most fertile 
are diversified by dark, gray, and chocolate loams on a substratum of red 
clay, and a black, tenacious, limy soil, with underlying hard or soft lime- 
stone or disintegrated blue slate. The yield per acre of the various crops 
is, from one-half to three-fourths of a bale of cotton; 25 to 35 oushels of 
corn; 12 to 20 of wheat; 25 to 40 of oats; 15 to 25 of rye: 100 gallons of 
.sorghum; 80 to 100 bushels of sweet or Irish potatos, and from 2 to 4 tons 
of millet, and all garden vegetables are grown in large quantities. Peaches, 
pears, plums, and grapes grow and bear well. Wild currants and wild 
grapes are very abundant. Grafted fruit has been tried to some extent, 
and proved successful. Wild lands are worth from 50 cents to $3 per acre 
for uplands, and from $1.50 to $6 for valley lands. Good cultivated land 
can be rented for $3 per acre, or a share of the crop. Tracts with a por- 
tion under cultivation, and necessary buildings, are held for sale at higher 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. BROWN COUNTY. 3y 

figures, to cover somewhat more than the value of the improvements. There 
are large bodies of county school lands, and 64,000 acres of State school 
land of medium quality in the county, the latter held at a minimum price 
of $1 to $2 per acre (according to the water supply), payable in twenty an- 
nual installments. 

The number of live stock in the county is, of horses and mules, 6704; 
cattle, 27,958; sheep, 16,989; goats, 1065; hogs, 8731. Good marketable 
beef is obtained during the entire winter directly from the range. Three- 
fourths of the range is covered with the curly and the running mesquite 
grass, the remainder with wild oats (the latter growing mainly in the creek 
and river bottoms), and the sedge grass, which is very luxuriant and abun- 
dant, on the prairies. Hogs are generally raised entirely on the mast fur- 
nished by the oak and pecan forests. Work stock can be bought at the 
following prices: Horses, $50; mules, $60 to $80; oxen, $40 to $50 a 
yoke. 

Surface indications of iron, copper, silver, coal, and lead have been found 
in many parts of the county, but no effort has yet been made to ascertain 
and develop its mineral v. ea-lfch. Prof. Shumard, at one time State Geolo- 
gist of Texas, and Prof. Boll, both eminent as geologists, after separate and 
careful explorations, concurred in the opinion that the helt of territory, one 
hundred miles wide, immediately west of a line running from the mouth of 
Pecan bayou, on Colorado river, in Brown county, to the mouth of Little 
Wichita, on the Red River, in Clay county, disclosed unmistakable indica- 
tions of the true coal formation, and that it contained also large quantities 
of the best quality of iron ore. In two wells in Brownwood, at a depth of 
from 90 to 120 feet, petroleum, in considerable quantity, has been obtained, 
which yielded 80 per cent of pure oil. 

There are in the county three steam cotton gins, five steam flouring mills, 
two grist and one saw mill driven by water power, and one wagon and plow 
factory on a limited scale. Lumber from native timber is worth from $15 
to $25, and pine lumber from $35 to $45 per thousand feet. Limestone 
and sandstone, of good quality, is abundant and easily quarried. Rock 
fencing, 4£ feet high, costs from $2 to $3 per perch. 

The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, and Fort Worth and Rio Grande rail- 
roads have been surveyed, and, it is believed, will be built through the 
county at an early day. The five towns of Brownwood, Williams' Ranch, 
Clio, Bird's Store, and Zephyr have populations of 1200, 400, 100, 100, and 
75 respectively. For a scholastic population of 1354 there are forty-one 
public free schools, with an average daily attendance of about 70 per cent. 
There are two private schools of high grade in Brownwood, with about 100 
pupils each. In one of these there is a music department with a large class 
and a competent teacher and assistants. 

All the leading religious denominations have organized churches, and ser* 
vices are regularly and well attended. The moral tone of the people id 



40 KESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

good, and the laws are enforced. The debt of the county is about $4000. 
and county scrip is at par. The county tax is thirty cenis on the hundred 
dollars. 

The drainage of the county is exceptionally good; the general health ex- 
cellent, but along the creek bottoms malarial attacks are more or less fre- 
quent. These, however, are rarely of a serious character, and yield readily 
to simple uumu treatment 



BURLESON COUNTY 

Is bounded on the east by the Brazos river, and on the south and west by 
the Yegua,-the two rivers enclosing it on three sides. Caldwell, the county 
seat, is 158 miles, by the line of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad, 
northwest of the port of Galveston. 

Population in 1870 8,072 

Population in 1880 (42 per cent colored)* 9,243 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S70 6 857,613 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881* 1.870.716 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 206,229 

*A part taken to form Lee county in 1874. 

Ninety per cent of its area, of 651 square miles, is arable, and nearly 
equally divided between dense forests and high, rolling prairie. Besides a 
broad belt of prairie, extending across the county nearly centrally from 
northeast to southwest, the heavily timbered sections in the southeast and 
northwest are interspersed with many small prairies. The forests are com- 
posed principally of oak of several kinds, hickory, pecan, ash, and cedar, 
the oak predominating, and all of large growth. Not exceeding one-twen- 
tieth part of the arable land is under cultivation, in farms averaging about 
fifty acres. The character of the soil is a dark loam on the prairies, and a 
reddish brown alluvion, of greater depth and much richer, on the bottoms of 
the Brazos river. Being equally well adapted to stockraising and agricul- 
ture, the two industries are generally combined, but the great fertility of 
the prairie lands, and the increased facilities of transportion, are tending to 
give precedence to the latter interest. The usual yield of the staple pro- 
ducts is, of cotton, on the uplands, one-third to one-half of a bale, and on 
the Brazos and Yegua bottoms, not unfrequently a bale to the acre; corn, 
25 to 30 bushels; wheat, from 10 to 15; and oats, 35 bushels. The average 
rainfall is about 40 inches per annum, and usually distributed throughout 
the year so as to insure uniform crops. All garden vegetables raised ir> 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. BURLESON COUNTY. 41 

this latitude yield in great abundance. Peaches, pears, apricots, plums, 
and the early varieties of apples grow and mature well. Several kinds oi 
native grapes of good flavor, dewberries, blackberries, whortleberries, and 
pecan nuts are the never-failing products of the forests. 

The number of live stock in the county is as follows: Cattle, 1 4,779, 
horses and mules, 4559; sheep, 1830; hogs, 11,253. The native grasses. 
the mesquite and the sedge, furnish an excellent range almost the yeai 
round, and all kind of live stock, except sheep, are raised without feed, 
Sheep are kept in small flocks on the farms, and, with the run of the fields 
in fall and winter, very little feeding is necessary. The pecan, acorn, and 
hickory nut mast rarely fails, and hogs require only sufficient corn to keep 
them gentle until they are put up in the pen to fatten. 

Wild lands can be bought at from $2 to $10 per acre, and improved 
tracts at from $10 to $25. Cultivated land on the uplands and prairies 
usually rents at from $2 to $3 per acre; on the Brazos and Yegua bottoms, 
at from $3 to $5. Farm labor is in great demand, and is paid $17 to $20 
per month. 

Gener.d freight to Galveston, Lo which the trade of the county flows, is 
60 cents per hundred. 

Improved farming implements are coming into general use, especially in 
the prairie lands, to the great advantage of the farming interest. 

The principal water-courses, besides the rivers named, are Buffalo, Sec- 
ond, and Davidson creeks, the latter of which bisects the county nearly cen- 
trally from northwest to southeast. These and their many tributaries dis- 
tribute the water supply for stock purposes very generally over the county. 
Water for domestic use is obtained from wells at a depth of from 20 to 30 
feet, but for drinking water cisterns are preferred. 

The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railroad passes through the county 
nearly centrally from southeast to northwest, and has three stations — Cald- 
well, Lyons, and Yellow Prairie. The former, with a population of about 
900, is the principal trading and shipping point. Danville, Fraimville, 
Hookersville, and Tunis are small but thriving villages off the line of the 
railway. There are two factories at Caldwell for the manufacture oi 
wagons and of agricultural implements, both limited to the supply of the 
home market, but operated with success. There are also two steam saw 
mills in the county, which furnish lumber of good quality at $17 to $20 
per thousand, and one steam flouring mill, which turns out an excellent 
article of flour at $3.50 to $5 per hundred pounds. 

The county is free from debt, and has a cash balance in the treasury. 
For a scholastic population of 1879, there are 47 public schools, with a fair 
average attendance; also a number of private schools of the first and sec 
ond grades, which are well sustained. Church conveniences are, upon the 
whole, not by any means deficient, either in reference to the number of edi 
fices or the regularity of religious exercises. The people are orderly and 



4'2 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

peaceable, and the laws are enforced. There is no prevailing disease of any 
kind, and the general health good, the only exception being occasional at- 
tacks of a malarial type, which yield readily to home treatment. 



BURNET COUNTY 

Was named in honor of the first President of the Republic of Texas, 
David G. Burnet, and its organization dates back to 1852. Burnet, the 
county seat, a town of 600 inhabitants, is 60 miles, by the line of the Austin 
and Northwestern Railway, northwest of the city of Austin. Area, 1005 
square miles. 

Population in 1870 3,688 

Population in 1880 (2-£ per cent colom.) 6,855 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $ 467,580 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,153,238 

Assessed value of live stock in 18S2 621,092 

Its surface is diversified by mountains and valleys, wooded hills, and 
high roiling prairies, deep gorges and level plains. The Colorado river 
flows along its western border and across the southern portion of the county, 
while the San Gabriel and Lampasas have their headwaters in the central 
and northern portions. The smaller swift-running streams tributary to 
these rivers are at least fifty in number. Never failing springs of pure 
water are found everywhere, and wells are obtained at a moderate depth. 
The timber, which covers one-third of the area, consists chiefly of mountain 
cedar, post oak, blackjack, pecan, and elm, excellent for fencing and fuel, 
but generally too scrubby and short for building purposes. 

In the western section is found a reddish brown soil, interspersed with a 
dark loam, while the eastern is almost entirely a black tenacious lime land. 
About one-third of the area is of sufficient fertility to produce reasonably 
good crops. Peaches, apples, pears, plums, and apricots are successfully 
grown. The rainfall, while not deficient in quantity (averaging 34 inches), is 
occasionally too scant in late spring and summer for the full development of 
such crops as mature during those seasons, but wheat, oats, and barley 
rarely, or never, suffer from drouth. So of the several kinds of mid-summer 
vegetables, irrigation has been found to be advantageous to obtain uni- 
formly good yields. The facilities for irrigation are abundant, and it is 
beginning to be resorted to with the most beneficial results. The farmers 
are rapidly providing themselves with the latest improvements in farming 
implements, and supplementing their earnings by raising fine breeds of 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. BURNET COUNTY. 4o 

stock. The usual yield per acre is, of cotton in the seed, 600 to 800 pounds; 
corn, 25 bushels; wheat, 12; oats, 60; barley, 50; Irish potatoes, 90, and 
■•voetj. 150 bushels. Tillable wild land can be bought for $2 to $5 per 
acre; pasture, 50 cents to $2; tracts partly in cultivation, $3 to $10; rental 
for good cultivated land, $2 to $2.50, or for one-third of the grain and one- 
fourth of the cotton. 

There are 32,326 acres of school lands in the county; only a small per 
cent arable, but nearly all well adapted for grazing. The advantages of 
enclosed pastures are beginning to be appreciated, and the system adopted 
as the means of the people will permit. 

The cattle number 30,013; horses and mules, 9456; sheep, 46,924; goats, 
1069; hogs, 13,841. Very little feed is required by stock, and they are 
suoject to no disease except scab and catarrh, which occasionally occur 
among sheep, the former, especially, being easily controlled. Work horses 
can be bought for $50 per head; mules, $75; and oxen for $50 per yoKe. 
All kinds of domestic fowls are raised to advantage. Catfish, buffalo, gas- 
pergoOj trout, and hickory-shad are found in the Colorado river in sufficient 
numbers to afford good sport to the angler. 

Surtace indications of iron ore are found in many portions, and, to a less 
extent, of lead, gold, and silver. But the gre?t features of the county are its 
hmestones of superior quality; its gray and red granites, the latter believed 
to be identical with the Scotch granite; and its marble, varying in tint from 
pure white to jet black, many of the shades being very rare and beautiful. 
The Colorado river, at what is known as Marble Falls, makes an abrupt de- 
scent of about one hundred feet over a solid bed of marble. Here is a water 
power which, for volume and the facility for utilizing it, is believed to be 
without a superior in the State. Several of the smaller streams in this 
rugged district also offer fine sites for mills requiring only moderate power. 
Five flouring mills of small capacity, sixteen cotton gins and grist mills 
combined are the only manufacturing establishments in operation; but the 
excellent water power, the newly-acquired railway connection with good 
markets, and the abundance of raw material within easy reach, give assur- 
ance of the speedy advent of cotton and woolen mills on a large scale. But 
the working of marble will probably become a prominent industry at an 
early date. 

The Austin and Northwestern Railway connects tin: county with the 
railway system of the State at Austin; and the Texas and St. Louis, com- 
pleted to a point in Coryell county, seven miles east of Gatesville, is pro- 
jected to pass through the county. 

I$ie town of Burnet has a large and increasing trade. South Gabriel is 
a station on the railway; and Double Horn, on the Colorado, Strickling, 
Stinnettsvilie, Linn, and Mabry are small villages, each having a store, 
church, and school house. Transportation to Galveston, the principal mar 
Iron tor the countv. i<s ^1 .25 per hundred pounds. 



44 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

The scholastic population of the county is 1275, for which there are 

45 public free schools organized, and the average attendance is about 70 
per cent. The church and the school house is generally one and the same 
building throughout the county. Of the religious denominations, the 
Christian, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist have the largest representa- 
tion. The moral tone of the people is very good. 

The county levies a tax of one-fifth of one per cent, and has » floating 
debt of $3000. 

The general health is very good. 



CALDWELL COUNTY 

Lies about 30 miles south of the capital of the State. Area 543 square 
miles. 

Population in 1870 6,572 

Population in 1880 (33£ per cent colored) 11,757 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 SI, 247, 148 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S81 2,1,11,904 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,643, 1 07 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 412,136 

The area is nearly equally divided between timbered land possessing a 
fairly productive soil of light or gray loam, and prairie of black waxy soil 
of great fertility. The surface is generally level. The timber is chiefly 
post oak, but there is some live oak, and in the bottoms considerable elm, 
pecan, walnut, box elder, hackberry, and sycamore. 

The San Marcos river, noted not less for the beauty of its scenery than 
for the volume and extent of its water power, is the southwestern boundary 
of the county for nearly 30 miles. Plum, Cedar, and Walnut creeks, and 
many smaller streams, furnish water sufficient for stock. Good drinking 

ater is obtained from wells, and not unfrequently at a depth of from 10 to 
20 feet. Springs of pure water are numerous in some portions, and especi- 
ally in the vicinity of Lockhart, the county seat. Along the eastern borciei 
rises a range of hills called the Iron mountains, from their rich deposits of 
that metal. 

Under thorough tillage, the best lands will yield, of cotton, three-fourths 
of a bale to the acre; of corn, 25 bushels; of wheat, 18; of oats, 4 0: of 
barley, 50; of sweet potatoes, 200; of sorghum, 250 gallons; of millet, 2 
bona Early vegetables and fruits grow well and yield in abundance; later 
varieties are not so sure a crop, owing to the occasional scant rainfall dnr- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. CALDWELL COUNTY. 45 

ing the summer months. Pecans and wild grapes grow in profusion, and 
are of excellent quality. About one-fifteenth of the land is under cultiva- 
tion in farms averaging about 60 acres each. The mean annual rainfall i» 
36 inches. 

Unimproved timbered land can be bought for $2.50 per acre; prairie 
land for $4; and tracts with a portion in cultivation at from $5 to $25, ac- 
cording to quality and the character of the improvements. In the south- 
eastern part of tbe county there are several sections of school lands, but 
they are generally of an inferior quality. Rental for cultivated land, with 
houses for tenants, is about $3.50 per acre, or one-fourth of the cotton and 
one-third of other crops. Very little farm labor is hired for money wages. 
The usual price of corn is about 75 cents per bushel, and wheat, $1.50. 

Much interest is manifested in the introduction of improved breeds of 
stock. The county has 22,267 head of cattle, 6649 horses and mules, 2711 
sheep, and 5247 hogs. Although stock does better if fed during the se 
verest part of the winter, many do not feed their stock at all. Sheep do 
exceedingly well, and average 5 pounds of wool per annum and 40 per cent 
increase. The price of work horses is about $50; mules. $75; and oxen, 
$50 per yoke. Quail is the most abundant game; deer and wild turkey 
are found, but nut in very great numbers; ducks and geese are plentiful in 
season. 

Several flouring mills, driven by water power, are in operation, but none 
of them are provided with the latest appl'ances for turning out first-class 
flour. The water power afforded by the San Marcos is of large capacity, 
and is cheaply utilized. 

The county seat. Lockhart, has 1000 inhabitants, and is beautifully situa- 
ted in a live oak grove, with a broad prairie to the south and west, and on 
the east a semi-circular group of twenty springs. A branch of the Interna- 
tional and Great Northern Railway is projected from Kyle to Lockhart, a 
distance of 14 miles. The Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway 
runs across the southern portion, and over which nearly all the trade of the 
county flows to Houston and Galveston. Luling is the chief shipping point 
on this road, and has about 1400 inhabitants. The Sour springs, and Bur- 
dett's mineral wells, 8 miles from Luling, are resorted to by invalids in 
large numbers. These waters are believed to possess great medicinal value, 
and large quantities are annually shipped to all parts of the State. 

The mean maximum of summer temperature of the county is about 81 
deg., the mean minimum of winter temperature about 37 deg. 

With a scholastic population of 1879, there are 45 public free schools, 29 
for white and 16 for colored children, besides private schools in several lo- 
calities. 

The Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Christian denominations oriflti 
have several churches, which are usually well attended. 

The county is not in debt, and levies a tax of 25 cents on the $100. 



46 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

With the exception of the occasional occurrence of fever of a malarial 
character, and generally of a mild type, which is, for the most part, con- 
fined to the creek bottoms, the health of the county is exceedingly good. 

The genern ! character of the new element, as well as of the older settlers. 
is that of a law-abiding, law-enforcing, and, in the main, a moral people. 



CALHOUN COUNTY 

Lies on the Gulf of Mexico, near the centre of the coast line of the State. 
Area, 904 square miles. 

Population in 1870 3 > 443 

Population in 1S80 (32^ per cent colored)* 1> 73& 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,473, <2c 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881* 1,118,714 

Assessed value of live stock in 1 870 1 31, 1 32 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 409,709 

*This decrease is confined to the port of Indianola. 

It embraces within its limits the three bays, Lavaca, Espiritu Santo, and 
San Antonio. Pass Cavallo, the outlet to the Gulf, has a natural channel 
of 8 to 9 feet, which it is proposed, by the United States government, to in- 
crease to 12 feet. The work was commenced in 1881, and of the appro- 
priation of $180,000, $75,000 have been expended. The estimate for com- 
pleting the work is $1,000,000, and an ample appropriation having beec 
made for its prosecution, its success would seem to be assured. 

Its area of 615,960 acres embraces only about 261,000 acres of land 
which is almost as level as its waters, and devoid of timber, except the belts 
of post oak, blackjack, and pecan along the streams. The Guadalupe river 
flowing along its western border, and Chocolate and Slough creeks, are th« 
principal water-courses. Green Lake is a considerable body of water ir 
the northwestern portion. Rainwater, caught in cisterns, is mainly used fo) 
domestic purposes. The average rainfall is 3S.83 inches, and is sufficiently 
distributed throughout the year to insure tolerably regular crops. 

It is distinctively a stockraising county, and the luxuriance of the nativi 
grasses furnish abundant subsistence to stock during the entire year. Then 
are in the county 3 7. '1 7 3 cattle; 1460 horses and mules; 8130 sheep; 71 
goats, and 134 hogs. 

Much of the land is capable of producing good crops, but only a smal 
portion is yet in cultivation, the products being confined to vegetables anc 
other small crops for home consumption. Good pasture land can be bough 
for $1.50 per acre. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — CALLAHAN COUNTY. 47 

The Gulf, West Texas and Pacific Railway runs through the county in a, 
northwesterly direction from Indianola, the county seat and principal ship- 
ping point, with a branch to Lavaca, and has two other stations — Chocolate 
and Junction. Both of the first named points have a considerable shipping 
trade in cattle, hides, and canned beef, principally with Galveston and New 
Orleans, with which cities there is regular steamship cammunication. 

Fresh and salt-water fish are abundant in this bay-covered county. Game 
is confined chiefly to brandt, geese, ducks, and plover, of which, in the 
proper season, there are great numbers. 

The scholastic population is 254, with six public free schools organized, 
with an average attendance of 80 per cent. There is also a private school, 
which is well sustained. Of the religious denominations, the Catholic, 
Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Baptist denominations are strongest numeri- 
cally, and church conveniences moderately good. 

The county tax is twenty cents on the hundred dollars, and only a small 
floating debt exists. 

The county being encompassed on three sides by large bodies of salt 
water, its climate, both winter and summer, is, in a high degree, mild 
equable, and healthful. 



CALLAHAN COUNTY 

Is situated in north latitude 32 deg. 20 min., and longitude west from 
Greenwich 99 deg. 20 min., and is near the geographical centre of the 
State. Baird, its pi'incipal railway station and shipping point, is 140 miles, 
by the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway, south of west of Fort Worth. 

The county was organized in 1877, and has an area of 900 square miles. 

Population in 18S0 (1 per cent colored) 3,453 

Assessed value of taxable property in 18S2 $1,174,389 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 282,030 

Three-fourths of the area is prairie, and the residue covered principally 
with scrubby post oak and cedar in smaller proportion. The general sur- 
face is high and rolling, and, in the southern portion, rough and broken, 
with several mountain peaks. About one-fourth of the land is arable, the 
soil varying from a red to a dark loam, and for the cereals and other fall, 
winter, and early spring crops is very productive. The mean annual 
i"a?nfall, which is estimated at 25 inches, is often too scant during the 
late spring and the summer months to insure uniformly good results in 
general farming. Only a very small portion of the arable land has been 



48 RESOUKCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

reduced to cultivation, and agricultural products are limited almost entirely 
to necessary supplies for home subsistence. Very little cotton is raised. 
and of the food crops, with early planting, deep plowing, and thorough 
tillage, the average yield of the best lands is, of corn, 25 to 30 bushels per 
acre; wheat, 12 to 15; sweet potatoes, 100; sorghum, 125 gallons. Gar- 
den vegetables are not always a sure crop, and only the spring and fall va- 
rieties are raised with much success. Few or no fruits of any description 
have as yet been grown, but it is believed that the soil and climate are well 
adapted to the production of many of the common kinds. 

The wild lands in the county are mainly State free school lands, and are 
held at the minimum price of SI and $2 per acre, according to the water 
supply, payable in annual installments in 20 years, with interest at 8 per 
cent per annum. Good pasture land, owned by individuals, can be bought 
at $1 per acre. The usual rental of cultivated land, with houses for tenants, 
is $5 per acre. Labor is generally hired for money wages, at the average 
price of $20 per month. Pine lumber of fair quality can be bought at the 
railway stations at $30 per thousand feet. 

The entire area is carpeted with the native grasses, of which the long 
and the curly mesquite are the principal kinds, and few sections present 
greater advantages for stockraising. The number of stock in the county, 
as assessed, is, horses and mules, 4280; cattle, 20,039; sheep, 17,769; goats, 
495; hogs, 3349. Although the present number of cattle is greater than 
that of sheep, it is believed that the latter can be more profitably raised, and 
they are attracting increased attention. Water for stock purposes is toler- 
ably abundant, and well distributed over the county. Pecan bayou, a large 
stream with many tributaries, rises in the northwestern portion and flows 
diagonally through the county in a southeasterly course, to empty into the 
Colorado river; while Hubbard, Asylum, and Mud creeks rise nearly in the 
centre, and flowing to the northeast, empty into the Brazos river. There 
are few springs, but drinking water of very good quality is obtained from 
wells at a moderate depth. Cisterns are also used to a limited extent. 

The railway stations are Baird, with a population of about 500, Clyde, 
Vigo, and Putnam. Belle Plains, the county seat, is six miles south of the 
Texas and Pacific Railway, and has a population of about 300. 

Wild game is scarce, and consists chiefly of antelope and bear in small 
and rapidly decreasing numbers. In the streams are found fish in abun- 
dance, bass and blue and yellow cat being the principal kinds. 

Considering the recent settlement and organization of the county, the 
school facilities are very good. With a scholastic population of 378, there 
are sixteen public free schools, which have an average attendance of about 
75 per cent of the enrolled pupils. The county tax is sixty-five cents on the 
hundred dollars, and there is a small floating debt. 

The church conveniences are rather limited, but all the Protestant denomi- 
nations have ministers in the field, and church organizations are rap.ul.y ;n- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. CAMERON COUNTY. 49 

• ■reasing in number. As a rule, good order prevails, and the people aro 
peaceable and law-abidiug. 

The general elevation of the surface and the mountain ranges renders the 
atmosphere pure and dry, and there are few or no local caust^ of sickness. 



CAMERON COUNTY, 

The extreme southern county of the State, lies on the Gulf of Mexico, in 
north latitude 26 deg., and is separated from Mexico by the Rio Grande. 
It has 100 miles of gulf coast, forming its eastern, and 75 miles of river 
front, its southern boundary. Area, 3308 square miles. 

Population in 1870 10.999 

Population in 1880 (80 per cent Mexican and 1 per cent colored). . 14,950 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,550,667 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 2,000,689 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 291,047 

It is a nearly level, alluvial prairie, rising gradually from the gulf shore, 
ever green with a rich growth of many varieties of grass, and relieved 
from monotony by scattered motts or "islands of timber." These are com- 
posed chiefly of mesquite, ash, ebony, willow, live oak, and hackberry, and 
constitute about one-tenth of its area. Along the banks of the Rio Grande, 
at intervals, are also found groves of timber from a half to two or more 
miles in length, which contain lignumvitse, Brazil wood, ebony, hiusachi, 
and mesquite trees in considerable quantities. Many ebony and mesquite 
trees are found which will measure from five to six feet in circumference. 
The unodegato, or cat's claw, so called from its thorn, abounds in many 
parts of the county, on apparently sterile as well as on fertile soils, and is 
regarded as possessing the qualities of a hedging plant in an eminent de- 
gree. 

The Rio Grande is the only water-course affording fresh water, the Arroyo 
Colorado, in the southern part of the county, and Olmos creek, in the north- 
ern part, the only other streams, bein.2; brackish and unfit for drinking. 
But a good supply of fresh water, both for stock and domestic purposes., 
is obtained from wells, at a moderate depth, ponds, lakes, and tanks. Cis- 
terns also are in general use. The mean annual rainfall at Brownsville is 
33.37 inches. In 1880 it was 38.07 inches and fell on 106 days, princi- 
pally in the fall, winter, and early spring months. 

Outside of the towns, the people are almost exclusively engaged in stock- 
raising. The principal grasses are mesquite, bunch, prairie, sacahuistie, 



50 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

and zacate blanca, all of which grow with tropical luxuriance and remain 
green throughout the year. Stock require no feeding, and the climate "be- 
ing at all times mild, shelter is unnecessary. The mean temperature in 1880, 
not an exceptional year, was 72.6 deg. Disease seldom makes its ap- 
pearance among stock, except scab, which sometimes infects sheep. The 
average weight of fleece per annum is 2\ pounds. The common goat is 
raised with great success. The number of stock, as assessed in 1881, is as 
follows: Cattle, 23,210; horses and mules, 16,427; sheep, 27,540; goats, 
5169; hogs, 966. Rancho la Parra. an enclosed pasture, believed to be the 
largest enclosure, with one exception, on this continent, owned by Mr. Miff- 
lin Kenedy, of Corpus Christi, is situated in the northern part of the county 
It is rectangular in shape, is estimated to contain about 450,000 acres, and 
is protected by a wire fence about 100 miles in length. This pasture is in- 
tended for the raising of improved breeds of stock exclusively. 

Domestic fowl of every kind is raised with small trouble or expense. 
Game is plentiful, and includes ducks, geese, deer, wild hogs, and wild 
hens, or "chacalacas." Both salt and fresh water fish are abundant, and 
also sea-turtles of enormous size, oysters, shrimp, and crabs. 

Pasture lands, in the hands of individuals, can be bought for 10 to 25 
cents per acre, and tracts of good farming land, with a small portion in 
GQltivation, for $5 per acre. There are two and one-half leagues of county 
school lands, more or less timbered, and 150 sections of State school lands, 
mostly prairie, which are held at fiom $1 to $2 per acre, according to 
water facilities. One-half of the area is good farming land, and not more 
than one acre in one hundred of this is in cultivation. It possesses, in a 
large portion of its extent, a fertile, alluvial soil, easily cultivated, and well 
adapted to the production of cotton, sugar, and every variety of vegetables, 
and especially of melons and grapes. The latter yields in great profusion, 
and are noted for their fine flavor. Sugar cane can be grown from the 
stubble for three or more years without the expense of replanting, and 
rields sugar of a superior quality. According to the United States Census 
Bulletin on sugar production, in 1879, there were produced, on 256 acres 
planted in sugar cane, 277 hogsheads of sugar, and 21,450 gallons of mo- 
lasses. Two sugar canes, selected from a farm in this county and placed 
on exhibition in Brownsville, numbered, the one 32 and the other 33 ripe 
joints. There are usually ten growing months m the year, and roasting; 
ears are often marketed from May to February. Very little cotton is- 
grown, but the yield on one farm is reported at over 3000 pounds of seed 
cotton to the acre. In the alluvial bottoms of the Rio Grande a very large 
area, estimated at one-quarter of a million acres, could be irrigated at com- 
paratively a small outlay. 

Brownsville, the county seat, with a population of about 6000, is situated, 
on the Rio Grande, 30 miles above its mouth, and opposite Matamoros on 
the Mexican side, and is the chief city on that river. Besides a thriving. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. CAMP COUNTY. 51 

trade with the numerous towns along the Rio Grande for a distance of 350 
miles, the extent of steamboat navigation, it has commercial relations witl; 
the gulf ports, both by way of the mouth of that river and by the Pass of 
Brazos Santiago, with which it is connected by the Rio Grande Railway, 
'.22 miles long. Santa Maria, farther up the river, is a town of 200 inhabi- 
tants, and Point Isabel, the coast terminus of the Rio Grande Railway, 
has 500. 

The only manufactories yet introduced are one sugar mill, and one hut 
factory, both of which are paying well. 

The county has a bonded (railway subsidy) debt of $50,000, and the 
total State and county tax amounts to fifty-five cents on the one hundred 
dollars worth of property. 

With a scholastic population of 3568, there are 22 public free schools and 
G private schools in the county, all of which have a good average attend- 
ance. There are in the county one cathedral, five other Roman Catholic 
.churches, one Presbyterian, and one Episcopal church. The people consti- 
tute an orderly and peaceable community, while the pastoral simplicity and 
content of the large Mexican population constitute a unique contrast to the 
widely opposite characteristics of their American neighbors. 

The temperature is always mild, the summer heat being greatly modified 
by the gulf breeze, and the people enjoy almost uninterrupted good health 
Y~ellow fever has never been known to prevail in the rural districts of the 
■county. Its last appearance in epidemic form at Brownsville, previous tc 
the present year, was in 1867, fifteen years ago. Being known to be due 
to importation from more southern latitudes, the great advances made, and 
making, in sanitary science and quarantine regulations, warrant the beliel 
.that Brownsville will, in the future, be protected against this scourge. 



CAMP COUNTY 

Lies in Northeast Texas. Pittsburg, its county seat, is 49 miles, by the 
line of the East Line and Red River Railroad, northwest of Jefferson, the 
head of navigation, through Big Cypress bayou and Lake Caddo, of the 
waters of Red River. The county was organized in 1874 out of a part ol 
Upshur. Area, 201 square miles. 

Population in 1SS0 (4S per cent colored) 5,931 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 $764,402 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 67,768 

Originally the entire area was a dense forest, mainly composed of large 



j'2 resources, soil, and climat:; of 

and valuable timber, comprising oak of the several kinds, ash, hickory, wiM 
cherry, and pine on the uplands, and walnut, black and white oak, pin oak, 
hackberry, sweet gum, and beech in the bottoms. The United States For- 
estry Bulletin of 1880 estimated the merchantable short-leaf pine standing 
in the county at 579,200,000 feet, board measure. The face of the county 
is undulating, with a dark, interspersed with a lighter, sandy soil, easily 
cultivated, very productive on the bottom lands, and only a little less fertile 
on the uplands. The water supply for all purposes is ample, and very 
widely distributed by Big Cypress creek, which forms the northern and 
eastern boundary of the county for forty miles, Prairie, Richland, Walker, 
and Lily creeks, and their many tributaries. Bold springs, of freestone 
water, are numerous, and never-failing wells are obtained at a depth of 15 
to 30 feet. Not exceeding one-twentieth of the area is in cultivation, in 
farms averaging about 60 acres. The price of wild land is from -SI to $3 
per acre, according to locality, and tracts with a part in cultivation, and the 
necessary buildings, at from $8 to $10. Cultivated land rents at $3 to S5 
per acre, or more generally for one-fourth of the cotton and one-third of 
the other crops, or for one-half of the crop when everything is furnished to 
the tenant except family supplies. The wages for farm labor is 012 to $15 
per month. Work horses and mules cost $60 to $100 per head, and oxen 
$50 per yoke. The price of lumber at the mills is $12 per thousand feet; 
of rails for fencing, 75 cents per hundred. There are two steam saw mills, 
a number of steam gins, and flouring mills of limited capacity, and every 
neighborhood is supplied with grist mills. 

The usual yield per acre, in an ordinarily favorable season, is, of cotton 
m the seed, 800 pounds; corn, 30 bushels; sweet potatoes, 300; molasses, 
from ribbon cane, 400 gallons; sorghum, 200. Apples, pears, peaches, 
plums, apricots, grapes, and strawberries grow and bear well, and dewber- 
ries and blackberries are abundant. The soil and seasons are favorable for 
gardens, and vegetables of all kinds are a sure crop. The rainfall is about 
45 inches per annum, and the seasons, as a rule, are regular. 

The native grasses are neither abundant nor very nutritious, and are sup- 
plemented by enclosed pastures of the crab and Bermuda, the latter of 
which is specially adapted to the light sandy soil. Stock of all kinds have 
the run of the fields, and require more or less feed during the winter 
months. The number of live stock in the county is: cattle, 2701; horses 
and mules, 1193; sheep, 576; hogs, 4267. There is very little game, but 
the streams are well supplied with fish, such as trout, cat, and perch. 

The county is traversed centrally from east to west by the East Line and 
Red River Railroad, and from north to south by the Texas and St. Louis, 
which form a junction at Pittsburg, which has about 1200 inhabitants, and 
an annual trade of $200,000. Leesburg, on the first named road, has 3q'4 
inhabitants, and an annual trade of $50,000. The bulk of the zr?<ae flows 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. CASS COUNTY. 53 

to St. Louis (freight on cotton, $4 per bale), and a portion to Galveston 
(freight, $3.50 per bale), and to New Orleans. 

In the eastern portion of the county there are surface indications of iron 
ore, but no thorough explorations have been made. 

The scholastic population of the county is 1079, with 34 public free 
schools, and an average attendance of 75 per cent. Pittsburg and Leesburg 
have each a school of high grade, and nearly every neighborhood has one 
or more private schools. All the religious denominations have large mem- 
bership, and church services are well attended. 

The general health of the county is good, but, like all heavily timbered 
countries in this latitude, disease of a malarial type occurs more or less fre- 
quently in summer and fall, but usually in a mild form, and easily con- 

ded. 



CASS COUNTS 

Lies in the northeast corner of the State, and is separated from Red 
River by the county of Bowie. Area, 951 square miles. 

Population in 1S70 8.875 

Population in 1S80 (3S£ per cent colored) 16,724 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $ 761,809 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,612,881 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 243,417 

The general surface is level or undulating, and, in some portions, broken 
oy low hills of gentle ascent. Three-fourths of the area is covered with 
forests of short-leaf pine, post oak, red oak, white oak, hickory, cypress, 
walnut, and ash, much of which is of large growth. The United States 
forestry Bulletin gives the quantity of merchantable short-leaf pine stand- 
ng in the county in 1880 at 2,470,400,000 feet, board measure. Sulphur 
Fork of Red River, the northern boundary line, Black Cypress, Black 
bayou, Jim's bayou, John's, Frazier's, Kelley's, Flat, and Alley's creeks, 
and numerous smaller streams, distribute a never-failing supply of water 
throughout the county. Pure freestone water is obtained from springs, 
which are very numerous, and wells at a moderate depth. The soil is a 
free, productive, gray loam, interspersed with a small proportion of red, 
stiff land, the former being easily cultivated, stands drought well and yields, 
on an average, per acre, 800 pounds of cotton in the seed; 25 bushels of corn ; 
10 of wheat; 30 of oats; 25 of rye; 30 of barley; 200 gallons of molasses; 
100 bushels Irish and 150 of sweet potatoes; and 2 tons of hay and millet. 



54 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE Off 

All the vegetables grown in the temperate zone are produced in largo 
quantities. The soil and climate are specially adapted to fruit, and apples. 
peaches, pears, plums, cherries, raspberries, currants, and strawberries all 
do well. Apples, especially, are surpassed by those of but few fruit-grow- 
ing countries. Improved farming implements are used to advantage, and 
the use of them is increasing from year to year. Unimproved land is 
worth from 75 cents to $2.50 per acre, and tracts on which there is a farm 
•opened and necessary buildings erected, are held at from $3 to $8, accord- 
ing to the extent and character of the improvements. Cultivated lands rent 
for from $2 to $4 per acre. There are 13,600 acres of State school lands in 
the county, of medium good quality, which are held at the minimum price 
■of $1 to $2 per acre, according to water supply, and payable in twenty 
years in installments. 

The stock interest is by no means unimportant, the assessment rolls show- 
ing 3972 horses and mules, 13,010 head of cattle, 2220 sheep, and 18,430 
hogs. Cattle and sheep require some feeding in severe winter weather, and 
cotton seed is generally the only feed used. Stock horses and mules re- 
ceive little assistance other than the run of the fields in winter. Hogs do 
well on the abundant mast of the forest, and are given only enough corn to 
keep them gentle. Work stock can be bought at the following prices: 
Horses, $50; mules, $75; oxen, per yoke, $60. At retail, beef is worth 4 
cents per. pound; mutton and pork, 5 cents; bacon, 12-£ cents; corn, 50 
cents a bushel; flour, $5 per hundred pounds. Sheep are healthy, and the 
average weight of fleece is three pounds. Goats are raised to only a limited 
extent, but the county is well adapted to them, and they increase rapidly. 
Deer, turkeys, squirrels, and a variety of other game are found, and ducks 
and geese abound in the lakes and streams in winter. Perch, cat, trout, 
and buffalo are numerous, and afford fine sport for the fisherman. 

A large number of steam mills are established on the line of the Texas and 
Pacific Railroad and in other portions of the county, and the annua! ship- 
ments of lumber to the prairie districts of the west have assumed large pro- 
portions. Large quantities of railroad ties are also supplied to the various 
railroad lines. The only manufacturing establishment is an iron foundary at 
Queen City, for the making of hollow ware, plows, fencing, etc., from native 
ore, which is operated successfully. Iron ore in immense quantities and of 
good quality is found in the county. Hughes' foundry, in the west part 
•of the county, and Sulphur Forks Iron Works, in the eastern portion, were 
in operation some years ago, but the lack of coal near at hand, and the cost 
•of transportation at that time, rendered the business unprofitable, and it was 
abandoned. 

There is no lack of water power in many portions of the county, but it is 
limited in extent and capacity, being found only in the smaller streams. 

The East Line and Red River, and the Texas and Pacific railroads pas9 
through the county, and the Texas and St. Louis touches its northwest 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. CHAMBERS COUNTY. 55 

corner. Kildare, Hoxie, Atlanta, Queen City, and Alamo are stations on 
the Texas and Pacific, and Avinger and Hughes' Springs, on the East Line 
and Red River. Freight rate, $5 per bale of cotton to Galveston and $6.25 
to St. Louis. 

The population and estimated annual trade of the towns are: Atlanta, 
1000 inhabitants; receives 3500 bales of cotton; aggregate trade, $150,000. 
Queen City, 500 inhabitants; 2500 bales; trade, $100,000. Kildare, 200; 
$100,000. Linden, the county seat, 300 inhabitants; trade, $50,000; and 
Avinger, 150; trade, $10,000. Hughes' Springs is a summer resort fre- 
quented by invalids in considerable numbers, for the benefit of the waters, 
which possess medical properties of great value. 

For a scholastic population of 3274, there are 58 white and 31 colored 
public free schools in the county. The free schools at Linden, Kildare, At- 
lanta, Queen City, and Douglassville are of high grade. There are churches 
in every town and neighborhood, and church attendance is very general. 
The moral tone of society is good, and law and order prevail. 

The general surface being elevated and well drained, few or no local 
causes of disease are present, and good health is the rule. 



CHAMBERS COUNTY 

Is divided in twain by Trinity bay, Turtle bay, Lake Charlotte, and the 
tide waters of the Trinity river, which together cover a large portion of its 
area, and furnish convenient communication by sail as well as by steam 
with the gulf port of Galveston, 56 miles due south from Wallisville, its 
county seat. Area 851 square miles. 

Population in 1870. 1 ? 503 

Population in 1880(31 2-3 per cent colored) 2,187 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $262,850 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 450,248 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 209,148 

Besides the waters named, are Cedar, Turtle, East bay, and Double bay. 
ous, and Old river, all navigable for greater or less distances, for small sail 
boats, and extending to almost all parts of the county. 

Its land surface is almost as level as its water surface, except in the east- 
ern portion, where it is relieved by long and gentle swells or undulations, 
the whole bearing evidence of being an alluvial formation. In the north- 
eastern portion, chiefly along the water courses, are large bodies of timber, 
covering, perhaps, 125,000 acres, and consisting of white, red, pin, burr, and 



56 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

ater oak, ash, cypress, elm, cedar, hickory, magnolia, tupelo-gum, and 
loblolly pine. 

The soils of the good farming lands, which embrace not more than one- 
hfteenth of the area, are diversified by a grayish and a dark sandy loam, 
and a black, tenacious lime land (black waxy), the former being very easy 
of culture, and both very productive of such crop-; as are suited to the lo- 
cality. Wild lands are held at from 50 cents to $1 per acre for prairie, 
and from $3 to $5 for timbered. Tracts with a portion in cultivation, and 
the necessary houses for tenants, can be bought at from $8 to $10 per acre; 
cultivated land of good quality, with houses and necessary conveniences, 
is rented at $2.50 to $3 per acre, or for one-fourth of the cotton and one- 
third of other crops; or, with everything furnished by the landlord, except 
family supplies, one-half of the crop. Farm laborers are paid from $12 to 
$15 per month, with board. 

The usual yield per acre, under ordinarily favorable conditions, is, of cot- 
ton in the seed, 800 to 1000 pounds; sugar, 1000 pounds; molasses, 200 
gallons; Irish potatoes, 90 bushels; sweet, 300; corn, 20 to 25 bushels 
The yield of all garden vegetables and melons is very large and uniform 
Tobacco, especially from Cuba seed, is successfully cultivated to a limited 
extent, and rivals both in yield and quality the famed Cuba tobacco. It is 
by no means uncommon for a full crop of Irish potatoes, succeeded by an 
equally full crop of sweet potatoes, to be raised on the same land in the 
same year. This remark applies to several other products as well. Peaches, 
plums, and grapes do only moderately well; apples are inferior, and by 
no means a sure crop; but oranges, figs, and pomegranates, of fine size and 
flavor, are grown. 

The leading industry is the raising of stock on the open range, which 
embraces at least 400,000 acres, covered with salt marsh, bearded mes- 
quite, gaza, and sedge grass. Fat marketable cattle are plentiful in the 
marshes in the severest winter, when not to be found elsewhere in Eastern 
Texas. The forest districts, and also the marsh lands, furnish abundant 
and unfailing sustenance for bogs, which multiply and keep in good condi- 
tion the year round without other food. The number of live stock in the 
sounty in 1882 (as assessed) is, cattle, 28,830; horses and mules, 2270; 
sheep, 2225; and hogs, 1536. For domestic purposes, cisterns are pre- 
ferred, and generally used, although wells of pure water are obtained at a 
moderate depth in many localities. 

On Cedar bayou, convenient to navigation, is found brick-clay of good 
quality, and brickyards on an extensive scale are being operated with suc- 
cess. A ship yard at Wallisville, provided with ways for the building and 
the repair of the smaller class of vessels, and one steam saw mill of small 
sapacity, comprise the mechanical and manufacturing establishments in the 
;ounty. 

Wallisville, the county seat, situated on the Trinity river, six miles above 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. CHEROKEE COUNTY. 57 

its mouth, has a population of about 200, and an annual trade estimated at 
$75,000. Turtle Bayou, the only other point of trade, has a population of 
100, and trade of $25,000. 

For a scholastic population of 318, there were, in 1881-82, 17 public 
free schools, kept open seven and one-half months in the year, with a fair aver- 
age attendance. The several religious denominations have each a large mem- 
bership, and church services are held with much interest and regularity, 
but the church buildings are far from being all that could be desired. 

The winter temperature is rarely below the freezing point, while the 
summer heat is modified by the never-failing gulf breezes. The genera 1 
health is very good. 



CHEROKEE COUNTY. 

The Neches river forms the boundary of this county on the west, and the- 
Angelina for 30 miles on the east. Rusk, the county seat, is 244 miles 
north of the port of Galveston, by the line of the Rusk Tap, connecting 
with the International and Great Northern, and Galveston, Houston and 
Henderson Railways. Area 1008 square miles. 

Population in 1870 11,079 

Population in 1880 (34 per cent colored) 16,723 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,160,159 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,657,603 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 270,192 

About one-half of the area is suitable for cultivation. The general sur- 
face is broken, high hills or long ridges alternating with narrow valleys, 
the hills in some portions assuming nearly the proportions of mountains. 
The soils are the red, the gray, and the chocolate in the uplands, the latter 
predominating, and stiff black and sandy lands in the bottoms. Much of it 
is very productive, and, for the most part, easily cultivated. The county is 
abundantly supplied with water for all purposes by the Neches and the 
Angelina rivers, and by numerous large and smaller streams of pure free- 
stone water, flowing through it at many points. Bold springs are found 
everywhere, and wells are easily obtained. About eight-tenths of its area 
is a dense forest, composed of pine, the several kinds of oak, red elm, black 
locust, black walnut, ash, chincapin, hickory, persimmon, black haw, mulberry, 
sycamore, holly, cherry, cypress, and sassafras. According to the United 
States Forestry Bulletin, there were standing in the county, in 1880, 
2,230,400,000 feet of short-leaf pine, and 585,600.000 feet of loblolly pine. 



58 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Wild land sells at from 50 cents to $10 per acre; tracts of 50 to 80 acres, 
with a small portion in cultivation, and supplied with ordinary buildings, 
can be had at from $300 to 81000; cultivated land can be rented at from 
$2 to $5 per acre, or on shares, for one-fourth of the cotton and one-third 
of other crops. The usual yield of cotton to the acre is S00 pounds in 
the seed; corn, 25 bushels; wheat, 10; oats, 40; rye. 12; barley, 40; mo 
lassess, 300 gallons; Irish potatoes, 100 bushels; sweet, 300; peas, 100 
The total production of the county in 1SS0, of the two principal crops, is 
estimated at 28,000 bales of cotton, and 200,000 bushels of corn. Yegeta 
bles of all kinds are successfully cultivated. Peaches, pears, apples, plums 
apricots, and several varieties of grapes find here a propitious soil and cli 
mate. Peaches especially are nowhere surpassed in size and flavor. The 
post oak grape and several other kinds load the trees of the dense forests 
with a profusion of fruit, from which a wine of very good flavor is made. 
Except along the river bottoms, cattle are kept only, or chiefly, for milking 
purposes, and much attention is being given to improved breeds. Horses 
and mules are not raised in sufficient numbers to supply the home demand, 
^nd sheep only in small flocks. Goats keep fat and multiply, with little atten- 
tion and no expense, on the luxuriant herbage of the forest, and furnish a 
cheap and excellent meat for a family. The abundant mast makes the hog 
crop a very profitable one, and large numbers are raised. The number of 
stock in the county is, horses and mules, 5140; cattle, 14,005; sheep, 2177; 
goats, 971; hogs, 22,956. Rusk, the county seat, with a population of 
1500, and a good local trade, is pleasantly situated in a healthful region, 
and is well supplied with churches and schools. The eastern branch bf the 
State Penitentiary has been built near the town, chiefly with a view to give 
profitable employment to the convicts in developing the large deposits of 
iron ore known to exist in that locality. Springs of sulphur, alum, and 
chalybeate waters are found near Rusk, which possess medicinal qualities 
of much value. The other towns are, Jacksonville, a station on the line of 
the International and Great Northern Railway, and having 600 inhabitants; 
Alto, with 300; Larissa, 300; Etna, 100; Gent, 100. 

The manufacturing enterprises consist of a number of flouring and corn 
mills, two saw mills; also one earthenware factory, where a large amount of 
pottery of good quality is annually turned out. Lumber can be obtained 
■at from $8 to $10 per thousand. All the above named mills are operated 
by water power, for which the many bold, never-failing streams distributed 
over the county afford every facility. 

With a scholastic population of 2787, the white children are supplied 
with 62 free schools, and the colored with 27. Churches of the several 
■Christian denominations are numerous, and well attended, and peace and 
good order are the characteristics of the people. 

The climate is not subject to extremes of either heat or cold, and the 
rainfall is not only sufficient, but so distributed through the year as to ren- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. CLAY COUNTY. 59 1 

der diversified farming reasonably successful. The general health is good„ 
with the occasional exception of malarial attacks of a mild type, and whici> 
are confined mainly to the river and creek bottoms. 



CLAY COUNTY. 

In 1860 the census-taker found only 109 people in Clay county. With 
out other means of ingress than by common waeon roads, the population 
had increased in 1880 to 5045, with one-half of one per cent colored. 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $1.894, 353 

Assessed value of live stock in 188 1 468,532 

The Red River forms its northern and a portion of its eastern boundary, 
giving it a river front of over sixty miles, and the Big Wichita and the 
Little Wichita flow through and empty into Red River within its borders. 
Henrietta, the county seat, is 90 miles northwest of Fort Worth by the line 
of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway, which was completed through 
the county in August, 18S2. 

The general surface is high, rolling prairie, with wide valleys along the 
numerous streams, and with timber and prairie alternating in some por- 
tions. About one-fourth of the entire area of 1122 square miles is covered 
more or less densely with a forest growth of oak of the several kinds, 
pecan, ash, hackberry, wild china, and chittim, all inclining to be short and 
scrubby. Nearly five-sixths of the area is good farming land, and of this 
only a very small fraction has been reduced to cultivation. The soil is, for 
the most part, a deep red loam, which is very productive, especially in the 
alluvial river and creek bottoms. Besides the three rivers mentioned, East 
Fork, Dry Fork, Post Oak, Jones, Duck, Turkey, and Long creeks con- 
tribute their quota of fertile valley lands, and also distribute the water sup- 
ply generally over the county. The waters of the Red and Big Wichita 
rivers are more or less impregnated with gypsum, but that of the other 
streams are pure. Water of very good quality is obtained from springs, 
which are numerous, and also from wells, at an average depth of 25 feet. 
Although nearly three-fourths of the area is prairie, the timber is pretty 
generally distributed throughout the county. The price of lumber is $35 per 
thousand, and the cost of ordinary fencing $120 per mile. Wild lands of 
good quality can be bought at from $1 to $2 per acre, and tracts with a 
portion in cultivation at from $3 to $5. 

There are large bodies of State and county free school lands, held at a 
minimum price of $1 and $2 per acre, in annual installments, on twenty 
years' time. Cultivated land, with the necessary houses for tenants, are 



GO RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

rented at $2 per acre, or for one-fourth of the cotton and one-third of othei 
crops. Good farm hands are usually paid $18 per month, with board. 
The average yield per acre is, of cotton in the seed, 600 pounds; corn, 25 bush- 
els; wheat, 15 to 20; and of oats, 40 to 60. Peaches, apricots, pears, apples, 
plums, and grapes, and also dewberries and blackberries, grow and mature 
well. Pecan trees bear abundantly, and the nuts are usually of large size. 
The returns from the county estimate the rainfall at 28 inches per annum, 
and distributed, for the most part, more liberally in the fall, winter, and 
early spring than in the late spring and summer months. 

Surface indications of both iron ore and coal, and also of the copper 
schist of the permian system, are found in many portions of the county, 
but so far no thorough explorations have been made. Some years ago the 
eminent geologists, Shumard and Boll, each made a more or less careful 
survey of the region in question, and united in the opinion that it disclosed 
strong evidences of belonging to the true coal formation, and that it also 
contained large quantities of iron ore of the same kind from which the 
best English iron is produced. 

Stockraising is at present the leading industry. The number of live 
stock in the county is as follows: Cattle, 51,083; horses and mules, 3732; 
sheep, 4571; hogs, 2754. Stock of all kinds are raised, keep in good con- 
dition exclusively on the range, and require no feed. "Work horses can be 
bought for about $45 each; mules, $65; and oxen at $50 per yoke. The 
usual prices for butcher's meat are, for beef, 3 to 6 cents per pound; mut- 
ton, 8 to 10 cents; and pork, 6 to 7 cents; of corn, $1 per bushel; and of 
flour, $5 per hundred pounds. 

The towns in the county are, Henrietta, the county seat, and princial sta- 
tion on the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway, with a population of about 
800, and estimated trade of $300,000; Cambridge, population 300, trade 
$75,000; Newport, population 100, trade $60,000; and Buffalo Springs, 
population 75, trade, $10,000. 

For a scholastic population of 790, there are 35 public free schools organ- 
ized, with an average attendance of about 600. There are also a number 
of private schools. Church conveniences are not as good as could be de- 
sired, but religious services are held in every neighborhood with more or 
less regularity by the several Protestant denominations, and also by the 
Roman Catholics. 

Of the health and climate of the county, the official report makes the fol 
lowing statement: "Very healthy; no epidemics. No register of temper- 
ature has been kept, but the winters are usually very mild, and the heat oi 
summer greatly modified by the constant south urueze." 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. COLEMAN COUNTY. 6 J 



COLEMAN COUNTY 

Lies on the Colorado river, in 99 deg. 20 min. west longitude. Coleman 
City, the county seat, is 38 miles south of Baird, the nearest station on the 
Texas and Pacific Railway. Area, 1243 square miles. 

Population in 1870 347 

Population in 1880 (1 per cent colored) 3,603 

Assessor] vstlno of taxable property in 1882 $1,733,603 

Assesseu vaiuu ul live stuck m 1882 723,768 

The prairies, constituting three-fourths of its area, are undulating in some 
portions, in others a dead level, and are traversed by ranges of high hills, 
with many isolated peaks rising to the height of several hundred feet ab- 
ruptly from the broad plain. Santa Anna peak, the most notable of these, 
is conical in shape, and 600 feet high. The timber, lying, for the most 
part, in the eastern and northwestern portions, consists principally of live 
oak, post oak, elm, pecan, and hackberry, all of rather an inferior quality, 
not suitable for lumber, but valuable for fencing, fence posts, and fuel. 
The pecan groves yield their harvest of nuts in great profusion, and of 
large size. Though between one-half and two-thirds of the land is suitable 
for cultivation, it is estimated that not exceeding 4000 acres have yet felt 
the touch of the plow, the energies of the inhabitants being chiefly directed 
to stockraising. The usual produc'ion of the various crops per acre is, of 
cotton in the seed, 600 to 800 pounds; corn, 25 bushels; wheat, 12 to 18; oats, 
60; and millet produces, in some years, two full crops. All the vegetables 
grown in Texas yield reasonably well in ordinarily favorable seasons. Lit- 
tle attention has been paid to fruit growing, but within the last two or three 
years peach,- apple, plum, cherry, and pear trees have been planted, and 
promise to do well. Water for stock purposes is afforded by the Colorado 
river, Pecan bayou, Jim Ned, Indian, Horn, Mud, Mukewater, Panther, 
David, and Thalia creeks, the latter being so well distributed as to make 
the water supply good and convenient over most of its area. Wells of good 
water are obtained at a dep*h of from 15 to 50 feet. According to the reg- 
ister of the United States Military Telegraph office at Coleman City, the 
rainfall for the year 1880, considered about an average with the five pre- 
ceding years, was as follows: January, 2.03 inches; February, 2.01; March, 
3.69; April, 2.18; May, 4.43; June, 4.33; July, 3.13; August, 1.78; Sep- 
tember, 7.05; October, 1.78; November, 1.46; December, 1.96. Total, 35.83 
inches. 

Wild land, suitable for farming, is worth from $1 to $2.50 per acre, and 
160 acre tracts, with say 50 acres in cultivation, are held at from $5 to $9 



f»2 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

an acre, according to the character of the improvements. Farms rent at 
$3 an acre, or for one-third the corn and one-fourth the cotton. There are 
about five leagues of county school lands, and about 100 sections (64,000 
acres) of State school lands in the county, the latter for sale on twenty 
years' time, payable in installments, with interest at 8 per cent, at a mini- 
mum price of from $1 to $2 an acre, according to the water supply. The 
price and terms of county school land are fixed by the several counties, and 
are not uniform. 

There are in the county 89 18 horses and mules, 39.924 cattle, 80,S28 
sheep, 1464 goats, and 2466 hogs. The curly mesquite grass, that covers 
four-fifths of the county, furnishes abundant pasturage, winter as well as 
summer, and the hillsides and most of the timbered land are covered with 
sedge grass. The market price for work stock is. for horses, |50; mules, 
$75; oxen, $50 a yoke. In the home market beef is usually worth 6 cents 
a pound; mutton, 7 cents; bacon, 16; corn. $1 to $1.50 a bushel, accord- 
ing to the crop; flour, $5 a hundred pounds. Sheep are generally healthy, 
and the average weight of fleece per year is about 5 pounds. 

Coal and iron ore have been found in different portions of the county in 
considerable quantities, but no thorough explorations have been made. 
The county lies in the belt of country west of a line running from the 
mouth of Little "Wichita on Red river, to the mouth of Pecan bayou on 
Colorado river, which, according to competent geologists, discloses unmis- 
takable indications of the true coal formation, and also of the best quality oi 
iron ore. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway is projected through 
Coleman City, and, it is believed, will be constructed at an early day. The 
nearest depot at present is Baird, on the Texas and Pacific Railway, distant 
about 38 miles, and the freight rate to the port of Galveston is about $1.50 
a hundred pounds. 

Coleman City has a population of about 500, and an aggregate trade oi 
about $200,000; Trickum, 50 inhabitants, a trade of about $25,000. 

The scholastic population is 676, for which there are 22 free schools, with 
an average attendance of about 75 per cent. There is one private school 
of high grade at the county seat, and several others of merit in the county. 
The Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, and Christian denominations have 
church organizations. The people are peaceable and law-abiding, and life 
and property are well protected by the laws. 

The county has a bonded debt of 81850, and the county tax, general and 
special, is fifty cents on the one hundred dollars. 

The almost entire absence of swamps and marshes, the general altitude 
of the surface, and the almost constant breeze, render the climate very sa- 
lubrious. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. COLLIN COUNTY. 



COLLIN COUNTY 

Is separated from Red river, the north boundary line of the State, by the 
county of Grayson, and its centre is on the meridian of 96 deg. 30 min. of 
longitude west from Greenwich. Area, S84 square miles. 

Population in 1870 14,013 

Population in 1880 (7^ per cent colored) 25,983 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 S4, 114,160 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S81 5,990,475 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 6,391,435 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 972,250 

Three-fourths of its area is rolling prairie, in some portions rising into 
hills of considerable elevation, in others gently sloping down into wide val- 
leys. The east fork of the Trinity river and its many tributaries, as they 
pursue their winding course, generally in a southeasterly direction, through 
the county, are all fringed with belts of timber more or less wide. In many 
portions the pu )lic highways are continuous lanes, with a succession of well 
tilled farms o. enclosed pastures on either hand. There is a sufficient 
quantity of timber for all ordinary domestic purposes, posts, rails, slats, 
wagon and farming implements, fuel, and the like, but not a great deal that 
is suitable for lumber and building. The leading varieties are, post oak, 
red oak, pin oak, ash, elm, pecan, hackberry, and bois d'arc, the several 
kinds of oak, ash, and bois d'arc being good, and bois d'arc especially plen- 
tiful, and of excellent quality. Nine-tenths of the entire area presents a 
continuous surface of black waxy, tenacious soil, without any admixture of 
sand, and from two to ten feet in depth. It is very productive, and pos 
sesses the quality of resisting the effects of drouth in an eminent degree. 
The mean annual rainfall is 38 inches, and, as a rule, is so distributed through- 
out the year as to render damage from drouth of exceptional occurrence. 
Of the half million acres strictly arable land, not exceeding 150,000 acres 
are in cultivation, in farms averaging 80 acres. The usual yield per acre 
of the principal crops, under favorable conditions, is, of cotton, three-fourths 
of a bale; corn, 30 bushels; wheat, 15; oats, 40; barley, 40; sorghum, 100 
gallons; Irish potatoes, 60 bushels; sweet potatoes, 200; bay, 1^ tons; mil- 
let, 3 tons. The wheat grown in Collin county is found to exceed the 
standard weight by several pounds, and repeated experiments are believed 
to have demonstrated its superior capacity to bear long transportation with- 
out serious damage. All kinds of vegetables common to the latitude are 
grown with success. Peaches, plums, raspberries, and strawberries are a 
sure crop, and apples of the early kinds do moderately well. Improved 



64 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

farming implements are extensively used, both for cultivation and har- 
vesting. Farms are generally fenced with posts and rails or planks, the 
cost being about $200 per mile. Lumber is worth from $20 to $25 a thous- 
sand feet. Hedging, however, is growing in favor, and bois d'arc is found 
to be the best plant for hedges, being a stout grower and ind genious to 
the soil. 

Wild land is worth from $3 to $15 per acre, the highest priced being 
prairie, for the reason that when fenced it is ready for cultivation. Im- 
proved farms, with necessary buildings, range in price from $10 to $30 per 
acre, according to the value of the improvements. Land is rented for 
from $3 to $4.50 per acre, and on shares for one-fourth the cotton and one- 
third of other crops, or, when everything is furnished except family sup- 
plies, for one-half the crop. 

In exceptionally dry seasons the east fork of the Trinity river, and the 
many streams flcAving into it, cease to run, but their blue limestone beds al- 
ways hold an ample supply of water for stock and general purposes. An 
abundance of pure water for domestic use is obtained from springs and 
wells, but cisterns are preferred, and are in general use. These are dug in 
the soft blue limestone that underlies the entire surface of the county, and 
need no walling or cement. 

The raising of live stock is generally combined with agriculture. The 
principal native grasses, sedge and mesquite of the several varieties, supple- 
mented by the Bermuda, grow with a luxuriance not equaled on less fertile 
soil. The open range, however, is rapidly giving way to the enclosed pas- 
ture, and common stock of all kinds to improved breeds, which are yearly 
engaging increased attention. The number of live stock in the county is 
as follows: Horses and mules, 16,651; cattle, 30,139; sheep, 2187; goats, 
197; hogs, 18,075. In severe winter stock require feeding, or winter pas- 
turage provided for them. Work horses are worth §65; mules, $S5; oxen, 
$60 per yoke. In the local markets beef retails at from 6 to 7 cents; mut- 
ton, 7 cents; pork, 8 cents; bacon, 12 cents; corn, 50 to 75 cents per bushel; 
flour, $3.50 to $4 per hundred. Sheep are healthy, and the average weight 
of fleece of common sheep is 3 pounds; of Cotswold, 11 pounds. 

The Houston and Texas Central Railway runs through the county from 
south to north, and the East Line and Red River from its eastern line to the 
county seat, forming a junction with the former road. The stations on the 
former road are, McKinney the county seat, population about 3000, estimated 
aggregate trade $1,000,000; Piano, 300, trade $400,000; and Allen, Richard- 
son, and Melissa, the last three being villages with 150 to 200 inhabitants, 
each with a good local trade. Farmersville, on the East Line and Red 
River Railway, has about 200 inhabitants, and an estimated trade of about 
$300,000. Freight to Galveston is $4 per bale on cotton. 

Ther^ are no minerals and no water power in the county, and the only 
manufacturing enterprises are steam flouring mills, of which theiu a;u a 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — CHAMBERS COUNTY. 65 

•. 3 mber steadily and profitably employed in preparing for home consump- 
tion and market the abundant harvests of wheat garnered from the neigh- 

oring soil. 
There is a small bonded debt for a court house, but no floating debt, and 
the county tax is thirty-five cents on the one hundred dollars. For a 
scholastic population of 4615, there are 110 public free schools, and also a 
number of private schools, with a good average attendance. Good church 
buildings are found in every part of the county, the Presbyterian, Metho- 
dist, Baptist, Episcopal, and Christian denominations all having organized 
churches. Law and order prevail, and the moral tone of society is excellent 
The constant and unobstructed breezes which sweep over the prairies, 

ne thorough drainage, and the absence of swamps and marshes, combine to 
make the county healthful. 



COLORADO COUNTY. 

Columbus, the county seat of this county, is 118 miles, by the line of the 
Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway, connecting with the 
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, northwest of the port of Galveston. 

Population in 1870 . 8.32G 

Population in 1880 (46 per cent colored) 16,673 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,868,103 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 4,000,755 

Assessed value of live stock in 18S2 384,860 

About two thirds of its area, of 960 square miles, is undulating prairie, 
dotted with bodies of timber of greater or less extent, and along the wide 
bottoms of the Colorado river, which flows through the county centrally in a 
southeast course, and of the San Bernard and Navidad rivers on the eastern 
and western borders, there is a heavy growth of pin oak, water oak, post oak, 
pecan, and many other valuable trees. The Colorado river has a width of 
about 100 yards; the Navidad, 30 yards; and the Bernard, 20 yards. There 
are besides these Miller, Redgate, North Sandy, South Sandy, Scull, Golden, 
Roe, and a number of other smaller creeks which afford at all seasons a 
convenient and never-failing supply of water. For drinking water wells 
are mostly used, being easily obtained in all portions of the county. The 
mean annual rainfall is 39 inches, and the crops rarely suffer from the ef- 
fects of drouth. At the town of Columbus, the Colorado river makes a 
bend in the shape of a. horse shoe, which is 14 miles around, and returns to 
within 900 yards of the point of deflection. Competent engineers have de- 
5 



66 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

termined, by careful survey, that by cutting a canal across this bend at the 
narrowest point a fall of seventeen feet may be obtained, and water power 
of immense capacity be cheaply secured. 

The dark loam soil of the river and creek bottoms is deep, and noted tor 
its great productive capacity and enduring qualities. The stiff black lime 
land of the prairies is also fertile, and stands drouth well, but is not so easy 
of cultivation. About one-half the land in the county is well adapted to 
purposes of cultivation, and under ordinary conditions the yield per acre is, 
of cotton, from one-third of a bale to a bale; corn, 25 to 40 bushels; oats, 
40 to 60; Irish potatoes, 100; sweet potatoes, 150; and every vegetable 
grown in the temperate zone is raised in great profusion. Peaches, plums 
grapes, apples of the early kinds, and all kinds of berries are grown with 
success. Improved farms, with necessary buildings, can be bought at from 
$5 to $20, according to location and extent and value of improvements 
Farms are most commonly rented for one-fourth of the cotton and one-third 
of other crops, or for half the crop, everything being furnished the tenant 
except family supplies. Ordinary rail fencing costs from $100 to $150 a 
mile Good pine lumber is worth $24 per thousand feet. Bois d'arc hedges 
have proved a success where they have been properly planted and cared 
for Wild land, suitable for cultivation, can be bought for from $1 to *5 
per acre. The native grasses are luxuriant and nutritious, and afford abund- 
ant pasturage at all seasons. 

According to the assessment of 1881, there are in the county 34,534 
cattle, 7154 horses and mules, 685 sheep, and 789 hogs. Stock : is -aisec 
entirely on the range at all sevens, and are never fed exc pt ,u the ver 
thickly settled parts of the county. Work horses are worth fiom $35 to 
$8 ; mules, J to $100; oxen, $60 per yoke. Beef inthe home > market 
LaUs at 5 to 7 cents a pound; pork, 8 cents; bacon ™>™°'££^ 
flour £5 per 100 pounds. Game and fish are very abundant. Deei, tur 
IZ 'duck Ze, P-irie chickens, and plover afford good sport to the 
hunter A most every kind of fresh water fish known to southern waters 
arTfound in the streams and lakes. Eagle lake, lying east of the county 
seat is noted for its great number of fish. 

The Galveston, BMbq and San Antonio Railway passes throng the 
county from east to west, and crosses the Colorado nver at Columbus from 
whence a branch road extends to LaG-range, in Fayette county, distant 
I" 8 The most direct route to the port of Galveston is by tte 
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, which intersects the Galveston Ha, 
risburg and San Antonio Railway at Rosenberg Junction. Freight rate, 

"rherarrujfeoZted oil mills in the county, one at Columbus and 
one at Weimar, both of which have the latest improved machinery, and ar 

^CXiunty seat, has a population of about 2 500, and an esti. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. COMAL COUNTY. 67 

mated annual trade of $600,000; Weimar, 700, and a trade of $300,000; 
Oakland, 260, and a trade of $60,000. Borden, Eagle Lake, Ellinger, 
and Osage, are villages. The town of Frelsburg is populated by Germans al- 
most exclusively, and is in the midst of an industrious and thriving com- 
munity. 

The scholastic population of the county is 2890, and there is an average 
daily attendance of 75 per cent in the 70 public free schools. The county 
has no debt, and the tax is twenty cents on the one hundred dollars. 

There are churches in every neighborhood, nearly every religious de- 
nomination having one or more houses of worship. Obedience to law 
characterizes the population, and the rights of citizens of both races are 
equally protected. 

The general health is good. Chills and fever are sometimes prevalent in 
summer in and near the river and creek bottoms, but are of a mild type, 
and yield readily to treatment. 



COMAL COUNTY. 

ifew Braunfels, the county seat of this county, is, via the International 
and Great Northern Railway, 4S4- miles southwest of Austin, the capital of 
' the State. Area, 673 square miles. 

'Population in 1870 5. 283 

Population in 1S80 (75 per cent German) 5,546 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,270, ! 00 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,528,440 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 215,627 

The southern portion is broken, and rises, occasionally, into ranges of 
hills of considerable elevation. The northern portion is more level, and is 
marked in some places by broad valleys. The Guadalupe and Comal 
rivers, and Cibolo, Tom, Comal, Cooper's, and Turkey creeks, and Spring 
branch, and many smaller streams furnish unfailing water throughout the 
county. Wells are easily obtained, but the water being more or less im- 
pregnated with lime, cisterns are generally used. There are many springs 
of sulphur water to be found. 

The Comal river bursts forth from a number of large springs at the foot 
of a mountain range about one and a half miles above New Braunfels, and 
forms at once a deep, bold stream, which, after a winding course of about 
four miles, flows into the Guadalupe, with a fall from its source of about 
forty feet. The water power of this stream is utilized to run a large wooler 



68 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

manufactory and a number of flouring and corn mills, and is believed to be 
adequate to drive machinery of much greater proportions. The water 
power of the Guadalupe is only less available, and its volume and extent is 
perhaps greater than that of the Comal. 

The county is more or less thickly covered, over a large part of its area, 
with live oak, post oak, black oak, walnut, cedar, hickory, pecan, mesquite, 
md elm, but the timber is not generally suitable for building purposes. 

The tillable soils vary from a stiff black to a mellow dark loam, and the 
larger proportion of the farms are found in the valleys, on the river, and 
at the foot of the hills, the soil of which is very productive. It is estima- 
ted that only about one-fifth of the county is well adapted to cultivation, and 
under the careful cultivation of the German farmers produces from one- 
half to three fourths of a bale of cotton per acre, 25 to 40 bushels of corn, 
8 to 15 of wheat, 25 to 50 of oats, 20 to 30 of rye, a ton to a ton and a half 
of millet, and all kind of garden vegetables in like proportion. Peaches, 
plums, apples, grapes, and cherries are successfully raised. The mean an- 
nual rainfall is 35 inches, and as a rule seasons are sufficiently regular to 
insure a fair uniformity of crops. 

There is but little farming land for sale in the county, but some fairly 
good land, unimproved, can be bought at from $5 to $10 per acre, and pas- 
ture land at from 50 cents to $2; improved tracts are held at from $10 to 
$40 an acre; land rents for from $3 to $5 an acre. Rock fencing, which 
is most used, costs from $300 to $400 a mile. Some hedges have been 
grown, but owing to lack of proper attention have not proved successful. 
Pine lumber is worth $25 per thousand feet. In the most densely popula- 
ted parts of the county stock requires feeding, but where the range is still 
open the mesquite and sedge grass afford such pasturage as to render but 
little feeding in winter necessary. The live stock in the county, according 
to the tax rolls of 1882, consists of 4868 horses and mules, 14,303 cattle, 
and 16,220 sheep. Improved grades of sheep are raised to a considerable 
extent, and the breeding of Angora goats is beginning to engage attention. 
"Work horses are worth about $60; mules, $75; oxen, $60 per yoke; beef 
retails at 6 cents; mutton, 6; pork, 10; -bacon, 12-£ to 15; corn, 50 cents to 
$1 a bushel; flour, $9 to $10 a barrel. Catfish, trout, perch, sucker, sun- 
fish, and buffalo are numerous in the rivers, but game is not abundant. 

The International and Great Northern Railway runs through the south- 
eastern part of the county, and has five stations. With the exception of a 
few country stores, the entire trade of the county centres at New Braunfels, 
a town of about 3000 inhabitants, which has a large academy, three 
churches, and many substantial business houses, but is most noted for its 
large and successful woolen manufactory. The woolen goods manufactured 
at that point is believed to be equal in quality and finish to the product of 
any mill in the United States, and the factory is pressed to its utmost ca- 
pacity to supply the demand. It has also two large flouring and grist mills 
in successful oosration. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES — COMANCHE COUNTY. 6^ 

The Catholic, Protestant, Reformed. Methodist, and colored Baptists have 
c'mrch organizations, and church conveniences are ample. The scholastic 
population outside of the city limits is 851, and the average attendance in 
the public free schools is about 70 per cent. The public free schools are 
maintained ten months in the year in New Braunfels under the control of 
the city authorities, the pro rata of the State free school fund being sup- 
plemented by a fund derived from a special tax levied by the city. In 
these schools 321 children, within scholastic age, are enrolled, besides those 
in attendance above that age. The county has a small bonded debt, and the 
county and city taxes are each fifty cents on the one hundred dollars. The 
conservative and law-abiding spirit characteristic of the German race per- 
vades the population, and peace and social order prevail. The general ele- 
vation is about 750 feet above the sea level; the atmosphere dry and brac- 
ing; the gulf breeze almost unceasing, and the water pure and abundant. 
These conditions combine to render the county exceptionally healthy. 



COMANCHE COUNTY 

Is situated in Northwestern Texas, on the line of the Texas Central Rail- 
way, and DeLeon, the principal station in the county, is 109 miles north- 
west of the city of Waco. Area, 939 square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,001 

Population in 1880 (three-fourths of one per cent colored) 8,608 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $1,377,285 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1SS2 1,798,993 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 . 1 429,82c 

The general surface of the county is high, rolling prairie, with here and 
there bodies of scattered post oak and blackjack timber on the upland, and 
a heavy growth of white oak, Spanish oak, burr oak, elm, hackberry, anc 
other varieties along the course of the streams, the timber covering about 
;me-half of the area. The general elevation is more than 1000 feet above 
the sea level, and in the western portion of the county is a range of rugged 
hills of considerable altitude. In the eastern half is a wide belt of wood' 
land, known as the upper cross-timbers, consisting mainly of post oak, 
which furnishes abundant timber for fences and fuel, and much that is 
suitable for lumber and building. 

The Leon river and its tributaries — Mountain, Mercer, Sweetwater, 
Sabane, Walnut, Rush, and Leon creeks — distribute the water supply 
pretty generally throughout the county. Pure freestone water is procured 



70 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

from springs, which are numerous, and from wells, the latter being easily 
obtained at from 30 to 40 feet in all portions of the county. The mean an- 
nual rainfall is 26.90 inches, and for wheat and other crops maturing in 
early spring is always ample, but occasionally is too scant to assure late 
summer crops. 

One-half of its area is susceptible of cultivation and is being rapidly con- 
verted into farms; but stockraising is, and will continue for many years to 
be, the most important industry. The soil of the prairies is usually black 
waxy; that of the valleys and creek bottoms dark, deep alluvial, while on the 
hills and plateaus the light, sandy and reddish chocolate predominate. Im- 
proved implements of husbandry are used to a considerable extent, and the 
production per acre, with average seasons and cultivation, is, of cotton, 
one-third to one-half bale; corn, 20 to 35 bushels; wheat, 10 to 15; oats, 30 
to 60; sorghum syrup, 100 gallons; sweet potatoes, 150 to 200 bushels; millet, 
1£ to 2 tons, and all garden vegetables yield in like proportion. Peaches and 
apples are successfully grown. The pecan tree, usually on alternate years, 
yields a large crop of nuts, which have a ready market value. The mus- 
tang grape, a large purple grape with a somewhat acrid taste and not suit- 
able for table use, but exceedingly valuable for making wine, is indigenous 
to the soil and grows in great profusion. 

The latest assessment rolls give the number of stock in the county as fol- 
lows: Cattle, 31,369; horses and mules, 5510; sheep, 8666; goats, 1660; 
hogs, 8625. The running and the curly mesquite and the sedge grass, 
which cover most of the county, are very nutritious, and stock is raised 
almost entirely on the open range or in enclosed pastures. The mast of the 
pecan and the several varieties of oak is usually sufficient to fatten hogs for 
pork without the use of grain. "Work horses are worth from $30 to $60; 
mules, $50 to $80; oxen, $50 a yoke. Beef, mutton, and pork retail in the 
home market at 8 cents per pound; bacon, 12 cents; corn, 75 cents to $1 
per bushels; flour, $4.25 a hundred. Deer, prairie chickens, ducks, and 
turkeys are the principal game, and are found in considerable numbers. A 
few varieties of common fish are taken in the streams. 

Coal has been found in the northern portion of the county, and mining 
has been prosecuted to some extent, but not sufficiently as yet to fully deter- 
mine the extent or value of the deposit. 

Unimproved land, suitable for farms, can be bought for from $1.50 to $3 
an acre, and improved farms for from $3 to $15, according to location and 
quality and the character of the improvements. Usual terms of sale, half cash, 
balance on easy time. Rent for improved farms, $3 an acre, or one-fourth 
of the cotton and one third of the grain. Where landlord furnishes every- 
thing but family supplies, he gets one-half. 

The Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railroad is projected to be built 
through the county at an early day. For a scholastic population of 1C63, 
are provided 61 free schools, and a graded free school in Comanche City, 
the county seat. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. CONCHO COUNTY. 71 

The Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian denominations have church 
organizations and places of worship, and the attendance in church services 
is general. 

Though the county so lately formed a part of the frontier, moral and 
social improvement has kept pace with material progress, and peace and 
order prevail. 

The county is exempt from all causes of malaria, and owing to its general 
elevation and consequent thorough drainage, the salubrity of the climate is 
such as to make it, to some extent, a resort for invalids in search of health. 



CONCHO COUTNY 

Is on the one hundredth meridian of longitude west from Greenwich, and 
in north latitude 31 deg. 20 min. Paint Rock, the county seat, is about 150 
miles northwest of the capital of the State. Area, 956 square miles. Or- 
ganized in 1S79. 

Population in 1880 (17 colored) 800 

Estimated population in 1882 1,250 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $44 5, 1 85 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 164,434 

The general surface is a succession of hills and valleys, with here and 
there a stretch of level prairie, and is about 1800 feet above the sea level. 
Over a large portion there is a scattered growth of scrubby mesquite bushes, 
while on the streams is a considerable quantity of live oak, post oak, and 
elm. The soil in the valleys is a dark loam, and, to all appearances, is very 
fertile, but too little farming has yet been done to fully test its productive, 
ness, the inhabitants being almost exclusively employed in stockraising. 

The county is well supplied with water for stock by the Colorado and the 
Concho rivers, both constantly running streams, and by the Kickapoo, Cot- 
tonwood, Brady's, Dola, Snake, and many smaller creeks, which hold water 
at all seasons. There are also many springs of pure water to be found, and 
wells are easily obtained. The mean annual rainfall, as registered by the 
United States signal office at Fort Concho, situated 16 miles west of the 
county line, is 25.04 inches, but is usually not sufficiently abundant and reg- 
lar in late spring and summer to assure the growth of crops maturing in 
those seasons. 

The Colorado and the Concho rivers, it is believed, would afford large 
water power at small outlay. Nearly the entire surface is carpeted with 
rich, nutritious grasses, and according to the latest assessment rolls (1881), 



72 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE 0? 

there were in the county 1171 horses and mules, 12,359 cattle, and 29,977 
sheep. A correct enumeration of stock at this time (18S2), it is thought, 
would reach twice the number above given. The native grasses furnish 
abundant pasturage for all kinds of stock the year round, and no diseases 
are prevalent. Wild lands are held at from 50 cents to $1 per acre, and 
pasture land may be leased for a term of years for five cents per annum per 
acre. There are no improved tracts for sale. 

The courts having been organized, and the machinery of county govern- 
ment put in operation, a sentiment favorable to law and social order is rap- 
idly developing, the laws are enforced, and life and property are as secure 
as in many older communities. Paint Rock, the county seat, situated just 
below the junction of Kickapoo creek and Concho river, is a thriving town, 
having a number of stores and a good school. Religious conveniences are 
limited, but are on the increase. The general elevation of the county, 
ind the dryness and purity of the atmosphere, render it exceptionally 
healthful. 



COOKE COUTNY 

Ts the sixth county west of the northeast corner of the State, in the first 
tier of counties south of Red river, on which it has a frontage of 60 miles. 

Population in 1870 5.315 

Population in 1880 (4 per cent colored) 20,391 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $ 863,629 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 3,344,888 

Assessed value of taxable property in 18S2 3,675,770 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 577,805 

The general surface is high, rolling prairie, relieved in some portions by 
ranges of hills, in others by more or less extended valleys. The prairies 
cover about one-half the area of 933 square miles. Along the Red river is 
found a forest of burr oak, Spanish oak, hickory, walnut, elm, hackberry, 
and pecan, and through the entire length of the county, nearly north and 
south, extends a belt of timber about ten to fifteen miles wide, known as 
the lower cross-timbers. It is composed chiefly of post oak and black- 
jack of medium size, which furnish an abundant supply of wood for all 
domestic purposes, and together with small detached bodies of woodland, 
constitutes the timber resources of the county. 

Three-fourths of the area is susceptible of profitable cultivation, and pre- 
sents a variety of soils; in the timbered uplands a gray loam, on the prairies 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. CEOOK COUNTY. 73 

a black waxy lime land, and a deep, friable chocolate, and on the wide bot- 
toms of the Red river a reddish-brown alluvium. About one-fifteenth of the 
arable land is in cultivation, in farms averaging about 60 acres. Under ordina- 
rily favorable cond itions the yield per acre is, of cotton, one-half to three-fourths 
of a bale; corn, 30 bushels; wheat, 15; oats, 40; rye, 20; barley, 40; sor- 
ghum syrup, 200 gallons; Irish potatoes, 50 bushels; sweet potatoes, 200; 
hay and millet, 2 tons. Every species of vegetables common to the lati- 
tude is easily and abundantly raised. Peaches, pears, apples, plu s, straw- 
berries, and raspberries all do well. 

Elm Fork of Trinity river rises in the county, and, with Clear, Pish, 
Spring, and Blocker creeks, and a number of smaller streams, well distribu- 
ted, afford convenient and unfailing water. Springs of pure water are nu- 
merous, and wells are obtained at a moderate depth. The mean annual 
rainfall is 38 inches, and drouths sufficiently protracted to damage crops are 
infrequent. 

"Wild land is worth from .$2 to |5 per acre, and tracts on which there is 
a farm open, and the necessary bui. dings, are worth from $5 to $12. Cul- 
tivated land, with houses for tenants, rents at $3 per acre, or for one-third 
of grain and one-fourth of the cotton. 

There are in the county 39,357 cattle, 10,139 horses and mules, 5879 
sheep, and 12,313 hogs. Stock is raised exclusively on the range, and con- 
venient shelter in severe winter is afforded them by the timbered bottoms 
of Red River and the cross-timbers. "Work horses are worth $50; mules, 
$75; oxen, $50 per yoke. At retail beef sells at 8 cents; mutton, 8 cents; 
pork, 8 cents; bacon, 12 cents; corn, 50 cents per bushel; flour, $3 per 
hundred pounds. 

The Denison and Pacific branch of the Missouri Pacific Railway, in opera- 
tion to Gainesville, is projected westward through the county. Gainesville, the 
county seat and principal station on that road, has 4000 inhabitants, a:;d an 
annual trade of $6,000,000. Custer City, Dexter, Rosston, Marysville, 
Valley View, and Colesville are villages with from 100 to 300 inhabitants, 
and each with a good local trade. There are 87 public free schools in the 
county for a scholastic population of 3330, and these are taught four and a 
half months of the year. A handsome and substantial public free school 
building, with a capacity of seating 600 pupils, and supplied with the most 
approved outfit of globes, apparatus, and other conveniences, has been 
erected in Gainesville, the whole paid for, and the school put in operation 
on the basis of a ten months' term. 

The several religious denominations are quite largely represented, and 
most of them have one or more houses of worship in nearly every neighbor- 
hood. The moral tone of the people is generally good, the law is vigor- 
ously enforced, and life and property are safe. The county has no debt, 
and the county tax is five mills on the dollar, and the city tax of Gainesville 
ten mills. 



74 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

No local causes of sickness are present, except in the bottoms of Red 
River and other streams, where malarial attacks in the form of chills and 
fever occasionally occur in summer, but are rarely of a serious character. 
The altitude of the surface in all other parts of the county, the thorough 
drainage, and the almost constant prairie breeze, render the climate healthful. 



CORYELL COUNTY 

Lies between the parallels of 30 deg. 10 min. and 31 deg. 50 min. north 
latitude, and Gatesville, the county seat, is 42 miles south of west of the 
city of Waco, by the line of the Texas and St. Louis Railway. 

Population in 1870 4,124 

Population in 18S0 (3-| per cent colored) 10,924 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $ 784,040 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,958,110 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S82 2,1S4.444 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 415,889 

About two thirds of the area of 900 square miles is high, rolling prairie, 
•through which flow a number of streams, the broad valleys of which are 
covered with timber and skirted by gently sloping hills. The timber con- 
sists mainly of pecan, post oak, walnut, cedar, and cottonwood, and is gen- 
erally small and scrubby, except along the Leon river, where the growth is 
large and luxuriant. The Leon river flows in a southeast course centrally 
through the county; Cow House creek through the western, and Middle 
Bosque through the eastern portion, and, with their many tributaries, sup- 
ply convenient and unfailing water. The Leon river is a broad, bold 
stream, running in all seasons, however dry, and generally over a solid bed 
of limestone rock. Springs are numerous in many parts of the county, and 
wells of pure water are easily obtained at a moderate depth. The mean an- 
nual rainfall is 33 inches, and is usually so distributed throughout the year 
as to insure a fair uniformity of crops. 

Until within a very few years the county was devoted almost exclusively to 
stockraising, but agriculture is rapidly becoming the most important in- 
dustry. Nearly one-half the entire area is good farming land, the broad 
valleys of the streams named possessing a dark, rich loam, easy of cultiva- 
tion, and the rolling prairies a stiff, black, fertile soil. The average yield 
of the best lands per acre is, of cotton, one-half bale; corn, 25 to 30 bushels; 
wheat, 10 to 12; oats, 50; rye, 10; and barley, 40; sorghum syrup, 100 
gallons; Irish potatoes, 75 bushels; sweet, 200; and millet, two tons. All 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. CORYELL COUXTY. 75 

garden vegetables common to this latitude are successfully grown. Peaches, 
plums, and grapes grow well and produce fruit, of good quality. Improved 
agricultural implements, both for cultivation and harvesting, are employed 
to a considerable extent, and their use is increasing each year. 

"Wild prairie lands, suitable for tillage, are worth from $1 to $5 per acre; 
valley lands from $2.50 to $10. Tracts with a portion in cultivation, and 
necessary buildings, range in price from $5 to $20, according to amount 
and quality of open land and character of the buildings. Cultivated land 
rents at $3 an acre, or for one-third the grain and one-fourth the cotton. 
Rock fencing costs about $560 a mile; ordinary worm rail fences, about 
$275; posts and three plank, $250; posts and three rails, $125; posts and 
three wires (barbed), $130. Good pine lumber is worth from $25 to $35 
per thousand feet. 

The number of horses and mules in the county, according to the assess- 
ment of 1882, is 8718; cattle, 23,996; sheep, 16,226; hogs, 10,224. Stock 
is raised almost entirely on the open range, and keeps in good condition the 
year round without feed. Sheep are generally healthy, and the average 
weight of fleece from common sheep is about three pounds. Work horses 
are worth about $40; mules, $75; oxen, from $40 to $50 a yoke. Beef at 
retail is worth from 4 to 5 cents a pound; pork, 7; bacon, 15; corn, from 
50 cents to $1 a bushel, according to the crop; flour, $5 per hundred. 

It is believed that the Leon river would furnish water-power of large 
capacity, but so far no effort has been made to utilize it. 

The Texas and St. Louis Railway has reached Gatesville, the county seat, 
and is projected beyond to the Rio Grande. The Gulf, Colorado and Santa 
Fe Railroad runs through the southwestern corner of the county, and a 
branch of that road runs nearly parallel with and near the northeast line of 
the county for twenty miles. The principal trading points are Gatesville, 
with a population of about 500; Jonesboro, 150; Eagle Springs, about 75; 
The Grove, 150; Osage, 25; Turnersville, 100. The county has a floating 
debt of $1200, and the county tax is 25 cents on the $100. 

For a scholastic population of 2088, there are seventy-one public free 
schools in the county. There are also a number of private schools of the 
higher grades, all of which are well sustained. 

The Presbyterian, Cumberland Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Chris- 
tian, and Primitive Baptist denominations all have organized churches, and 
there are many church buildings. The laws are enforced, and there is 
healthy public sentiment in favox of peace and order. The general health 
is good. 



76 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



DALLAS COUNTY 

Lies in North Central Texas, and the parallel of 32 cleg. 45 min. north 
latitude, and the meridian of 96 deg. 40 min. longitude west from Green- 
wich, cross each other near its centre. Area, 900 square miles. 

Population in 1870 13,314 

Population in 1880 (4958 colored) 33,488 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $3,493,577 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 9,660,180 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 10,619,090 

Assessed value of live stock in 1SS2 747,695 

About three-fourths of its area is high, rolling prairie, rising in some por- 
tions into hills of 300 feet in height, and again stretching out into broad 
valleys. The hills are generally highest on the south side of the large streams, 
and in the southwest corner of the county is a range of low mountains, which 
overlook the wide and beautiful valleys of Mountain creek, which flows at 
the base. The Elm and West Forks of the Trinity, and Mountain creek, 
about equi-distant from each other, flow in from the westward and unite 
their waters near the centre of the county, forming the main river, which 
passes out near the southeast corner. Along and between the forks of the 
river, and on the main stream, as well as in several other portions of the 
county, is found a sufficiency of post oak, burr oak, Spanish oak, cedar, 
pecan, black walnut, hickory, bois d'arc, elm, hackberry, and Cottonwood 
for fencing, fuel, and other domestic purposes, not a great deal of it, how- 
ever, being suitable for lumber or building, except for common log houses. 
In addition to the Trinity and its forks, there are Cedar, Five Mile, Ten 
Mile, White Rock, Duck, Rowlett's, and Wilson's creeks, and many smaller 
streams, which distribute an unfailing supply of water throughout the 
county. Pure water for domestic use is obtained from springs, and also 
from wells at a depth of from 18 to 50 feet, but cistern water is preferred, 
and generally used. 

Nine-tenths of the area is good farming land, of which not exceeding 
one-fifth is in cultivation. The prairies are generally of a black, tenacious, 
waxy soil, the timbered portions a light sandy, and the river and creek bot- 
toms a dark loam, all easily tilled and very productive. With ordinarily 
favorable seasons, and proper cultivation, the yield per acre is, of cotton, 
one-third to three-fourths of a bale; corn, 30 bushels; wheat, 15 to 20; oats, 
40 to 60; rye, 10 to 15; barley, 30 to 40; millet, 2 tons. All the vegeta- 
bles common to this latitude are a sure and abundant crop. The mean 
annual rainfall is 38 inches, and, as a rule, the seasons are regular. Peaches, 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — DALLAS COUNTY. 77 

pears, apples of the early varieties, plums, grapes, and strawberries are 
successfully raised. Dewberries and blackberries are native to the soil, and 
yield abundantly. Fencing is constructed generally of plank and barbed 
wire, the usual fence of one plank and two wires costing $225 per mile. 
Lumber is worth from $20 to $22 per thousand feet. Bois d'arc hedges 
have proved only moderately successful. Wild land is worth from 85 to 
#20 per acre, according to location and quality. Tracts with a portion in 
cultivation, and the necessary buildings, range in price from $15 to $50. 
The rental value of cultivated farms is from #3 to $5 per acre, or for on"- 
fourth the cotton and one-third of other crops; or, where everything •$ 
furnished by the landlord except family supplies, one-half the* crop. Farm 
laborers command $12 to $15 per month, with board. 

But little stock is raised on the open range, most of it being confined in 
pastures. The assessment rolls (18S2) credit the county with 14,070 horses 
and mules, 26,194 cattle, 3030 sheep, and 16,676 hogs. In severe winters 
stock require to be fed to a greater or less extent. Work horses range in 
price from $25 to $80, mules from $80 to $150, and oxen from $40 to $60 
per yoke. In the local market beef retails at 8 cents per pound; mutton, 
10; pork, 6; bacon, 12; and flour from $3.50 to $5 per hundred pounds. 
Sheep are generally of ordinary quality, and the average weight of fleece is 
from 3 to 5 pounds. 

The Houston and Texas Central, the Texas and Pacific, the Dallas and 
Wichita, the Texas Trunk Line, and the Chicago, Texas and Mexican Cen- 
tral Railways, all centre at the city of Dallas, and there are 122 miles of 
railway within the county. The rate of freight to Galveston, the nearest 
gulf port, is 80 cents per hundred pounds. The railroad stations in the 
county are Hutchins, Richardson, Mesquite, Eagle Ford, Dechman, Carrol- 
ton, Riley Prairie, Seago, Hale, Duncan, and Cedar Hill, all local trading 
points of more or less importance. 

The city of Dallas is eligibly located on the east bank of the Trinity 
river, and has many large and imposing churches and other public build- 
ings, and handsome private residences. It is the great railway centre of 
northern Texas, and has an estimated population, at the present date, of 
18,000, and an estimated wholesale and retail trade in general merchandise 
of $27,000,000 per annum. The trade of the city in cotton, grain, and 
other productions of the surrounding country amounts to about $5,000,000 
annually; and in 1881 new buildings to the value of over $500,000 were erected. 
Its manufacturing establishments consist of a cotton seed oil mill, one of 
the largest in the State; the Dallas Car Works, for the manufacture of rail- 
way cars, wagons, carriages, and furniture, on a large scale; Trinity Iron 
and Brass Foundry, doing a business of $150,000 per annum; two soap fac- 
tories, and a factory for making ice; one for baking powder, one for vinegar 
and champagne cider; a barrel, a broom, and a wagon and carriage factory. 
Water works, on the Holly system, owned by the city, is in successful op- 



IS RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

eration. Electric lights have been introduced, and are being rapidly 
adopted. The manufacture of cotton goods on a large scale is projected by 
a company already organized. The assessed value of real estate, merchan- 
dise, and personal property of the city in 1872 was $922,470. The assess- 
ment of 1882, showing an increase of over 500 per cent in ten years, is as 
follows: 

Real estate $3,167,260 

Merchandise 989,720 

Personal property 597,795 

Total $4,754,775 

The next most important town is Lancaster, near the southern boundary 
of the county, with a population of 700, and an estimated annual trade of 
$250,000, and surrounded by a dense population of thrifty and well-to-do 
farmers. 

Water power of large capacity is afforded by the Elm and West Forks of 
Trinity, and by Five Mile and Ten Mile creeks. 

In season, there are plover, grouse, woodcock, ducks, and prairie chick- 
ens to be found in large numbers, and also deer to a limited extent. The 
supply of fish is not plentiful. 

The county has a scholastic population of 5767, for which there are 103 
public free schools. There are also a number of private schools of high 
grade, and in the city of Dallas a Roman Catholic convent, a college, and 
several private schools. The city has recently provided for the building of 
four first-class public free school buildings, and having assumed control of 
her public schools, it is proposed to bring them up to the highest standard. 
There are sixteen church buildings for white congregations of the Chris- 
tian, Episcopal, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Congre- 
gational, Jewish, and Lutheran denominations, and seven churches for the 
colored people, comprising Methodist, Baptist, and Christian. In other 
portions of the county there are thirty-one church buildings. 

The county has a bonded debt (court house) of $36,000, which is being 
rapidly paid off, and no new debt is being incurred. The county tax is 40 
cents, and that of the city $1.85, on the $100. 

With the exception of occasional malarial attacks, occurring mostly along 
the river and creek bottoms, the county is very healthful. The mean maxi- 
mum temperature in summer is 85 deg., and the mean minimum in winter 
37 deg. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — DEfcTA COUNTY. 7 9 



DELTA COUNTY 

"Was formed in 1S70 from portions of Hopkins and Lamar counties, 
Area, 26G square miles. 

Population in 18S0 (10 per cent colored) 5,5S>7 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $807,112 

Assessed value of live stock in 1SS1 155.735 

It is in the second tier of counties south of Red River, and lies wedge- 
shaped, east and west, in the fork of the North and South Sulphur Forks 
of Red River, which form its northern, southern, and eastern boundaries. 
Its general surface is high, rolling prairie, with a succession of low hills and 
broad valleys, in some portions dotted with motts of timber, and traversed 
by numerous creeks. The principal water courses are Camp, Johnson, Bar- 
nett, Jernigan, Honey, John, East and West Forks of Big creek, Brushy, 
and Lake creeks, all flowing south and southeast into the South Sulphuj 
Fork of Red river, and their courses marked by a heavy forest growth. 
There are also considerable areas of timber on the uplands, fully one-third 
of the entire county being wooded. The above named streams furnish a 
widely distributed and unfailing water supply, and wells of pure water, for 
domestic use, are easily obtained in every part of the county. 

The greater part of the timber on the uplands is post oak. Along and 
near the streams bois d'arc, elm, cottonwood, and most other kinds common to 
Northeastern Texas are of large growth, and in sufficient quantity for ordi- 
nary farm purposes, a small portion only being suitable for lumber or 
building other than for log houses. 

Two-thirds of the land is a black lime soil, and the remainder a dark 
loam with a clay foundation, three-fourths of the whole being suitable for 
cultivation. Potatoes, peas, onions, and all other vegetables are successfully 
raised, and the yield is large. With the usual cultivation, and the average 
rainfall, which is 42 inches per annum, and well distributed, the production 
of cotton is from one-third to two-thirds of a bale per acre; corn, 20 to 30 
bushels; wheat, 10 to 15; oats, 40 to 60; hay, 1£ to 2 tons; sorghum syrup, 
60 to 100 gallons. The soil and climate is well adapted to fruit, such as 
apples, peaches, pears, plums, grapes, and berries, all of which are of luxu- 
riant growth, and yield fruit of large size and fine flavor. Improved agri- 
cultural implements are largely used, and are :apidly supplanting the prim- 
itive tools of husbandry wherever the land is suited to their use. Many 
"bee trees" are found in the woods, and from this fact, in connection with 
the great number of wild flowers, and the convenience of water, it is be- 
lieved apiaries would prove profitable. 



60 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Wild land is held at from $2 to $5 per acre, and tracts with a portion in 
cultivation, and necessary buildings, at from S3, to $10. One-third of the 
grain and one-fourth of the cotton is the usual rental of farms. Ordinary 
fencing costs about $160 per mile. Good pine lumber is worth about $20 
per thousand feet. But little attention has been paid to hedges; the bois d'arc 
has, however, been tried, and with such results as to justify the opinion that 
it will prove valuable for the purpose. 

According to the latest assessment rolls (1881), there are in the county 
3215 horses and mules, 8220 cattle, 2427 sheep, and 7223 hogs. Stock 
keep in good condition winter and summer on the range. Some owners 
feed lightly in very severe winter weather. Hogs are commonly raised, 
and also fattened for pork, on the mast of the oak, only sufficient corn 
being given them to harden and whiten the lard. Stock horses of medium 
quality are worth about $50; mules, $65 to $80; oxen, $50 per yoke. Beef 
retails at from 3 to 5 cents per pound; mutton, $2 per head; pork, 5 to 6 
cents per pound; bacon, 10 to 12 cents; corn, 50 cents per bushel; and flour, 
$4 per hundred pounds. Sheep, with the exception of an occasional flock 
that is infected by scab, are healthy, and the average weight of fleece is 
about 4| pounds. Deer, turkey, and prairie chickens are found in nearly 
every part of the county. The water-courses being small, there are but few 
fish." 

The county lies midway between the Texas and Pacific and the East Line 
and Red River Railways, here 45 miles apart; Cooper, the county seat, 
being about 20 miles distant from the nearest station on the one, and 25 
miles from the other of these roads. Cooper has about 500 inhabitants, and 
Charleston and Ben Franklin, the only other towns, about 250 each. 

There are 30 public free schools in the county, for a scholastic population 
of 998, and the schools are taught four and a half months in the year. 
The Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian and Christian denominations all have 
church buildings, and religious services are well attended. 

The population is peaceable and hospitable, and the officers of the law are 
sustained by a public sentiment in favor of law and order. 

The elevated surface and thorough drainage removes all causes of mala- 
ria, except on or near the creeks and river bottoms, ?here malarial attacks 
occur occasionally in the summer and fall, but disease of serious character 
is rare. 



DENTON COUNTY 

Is seprrated from Red River, the north boundary line of the State, by the 
county of Cooke; and Denton, the county seat, is 35 miles northwest of the 
city of Dallas, by the line of the Dallas and Wichita Railway. 



TEXAS EY COUNTIES. — DENTON COUNTY. 81 

Population in 1870 7,251 

Population in 18S0 (15 per cent colored) 18,145 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,577,628 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 3,883,480 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 4,723,676 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 941,824 

Nearly two-thirds of the area, of 909 square miles, is high, rolling prai- 
rie, the soil of which is a rich, black, tenacious, waxy land. The wide belt 
of woodland, known as the lower cross-timbers, runs north and south 
through the county, and is interspersed with prairies of greater or less size, 
the soil being, for the most part, a gray loam, easily tilled and fairly produc- 
tive. The prairie lands are especially adapted to the growth of wheat, oats, 
rye, barley, and millet, while the soil of the timbered portion and of the choco- 
late loam of the valleys, is more suited to cotton, corn, fruits, and vetetables. 

The Elm Fork of the Trinity river, and Denton, Hickory, Milam, Cooper, 
Buck, and Clear creeks, and a number of smaller streams, afford thorough 
drainage, and supply abundant and convenient water for stock and other 
purposes. Pure water, for drinking and household use, is obtained chiefly 
from wells at a depth of 16 to 40 feet, but cistern water is also much used. 

The leading varieties of timber are post oak, burr oak, Spanish oak, pe- 
can, walnut, cedar, elm, locust, box elder, and oottonwood. The post oak 
timber, found chiefly on the uplands, is usually short, but is suitable for 
rails, posts, fuel, etc., while the timber on the streams is generally large, 
and much of it suitable for lumber. 

Fully two-thirds of the area is suitable for farming purposes, and under 
ordinarily favorable conditions, and with proper cultivation, the yield per 
acre of the various crops is as follows: Cotton, from one-third to one half 
of a bale; corn, 30 to 40 bushels; wheat, 10 to 20; oats, 40 to 60; barley, 
30 to 40; sorghum syrup, 100 to 150 gallons; Irish potatoes, 90 to 100 
bushels; sweet potatoes, 150 to 200; hay, three-fourths of a ton to a ton ; mil- 
let, one and a half to two tons. Peas, peanuts, and all kinds of garden vegeta- 
bles yield in like proportion. Peaches, early apples, cherries, plums, grapes, 
and strawberries, with ordinary attention, produce fruit of large size and 
good flavor. Blackberries and dewberries are indigenious to the soil, and 
grow with great luxuriance. The pecan and walnut trees bear heavy crops 
of nuts, and the nuts of the former have a high market value. The results 
of fruit culture up to this time give assurance that it can be made a sure 
and profitable business. Good pine lumber is worth $25 per thousand feet; 
lumber from the timber of the county from $15 to $20. Fence posts are 
worth from 5 to 20 cents each, according to quality of material, and a three 
strand barbed wire fence costs from $150 to $200 a mile. Unimproved 
land, suitable for farming, can be bought at from $3 to $7 per acre, and 



82 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

tracts on which there is fenced land ready for cultivation, and necessary 
buildings, are held at from $8 to $20 per acre, according to the. quality and 
the value of the improvements. The rent of farms is $4 an acre, or one-third 
the grain and one-fourth the cotton. 

Daring 1880 the rainfall was distributed through the year as follows: 
January, 6.07 inches; February, 1.12; March, 3.01; April, 1.94; May, 6.53; 
June, 5.16; July, 2.10; August, 0.72: September, 2.28; October, 1.61; No- 
vember, 1.66; December, .000; total, 32.20 inches; and in 1881, as fol- 
lows: January (from snow), 0.74 of an inch; February (rain), 4.50; March, 
1.47; April, 1.68; May, 8.01; June, .000; July, 0.79; August, 0.39; Sep- 
tember, 3.00; October, 9.16; November, 2.23; December, 1.93; total, 
33.90 inches. 

The assessment of 1882 credits the county with 13,732 horses and 
mules, 45.004 cattle, 7104 sheep, 14,210 hogs. Stock require no feeding 
except in severe winters, and then in only limited quantities in the worst 
weather. The official returns state that the land is being rapidly converted 
into farms, and stockraising is becoming more and more confined to im- 
proved breeds in enclosed pastures. Work stock can be bought at the fol- 
lowing prices: Horses, $45; mules, $70; oxen, $60 a yoke. At retail, in 
the home market, beef is worth 5 cents per pound; mutton, 6; pork, 7; and 
bacon 12^; corn, 50 cents to $1 a bushel; and flour from $3.50 to $4.50 a 
hundred. Sheep do well, are generally free from disease, and the average 
weight of fleece is about 3£ pounds, worth, in the home market, from 22 to 
25 cents a pound. 

The Transcontinental Division of the Texas and Pacific runs through 
the county from northeast to southwest, with the following stations: 
Pilot Point, Denton, Aubrey, and Roanoke. The Dallas and Wichita enters 
the county near its southeast corner, and runs to the county seat. Denton 
has a population of about 2000, and an estimated aggregate trade cf 
$900,000; Pilot Point, 1200, trade $300,000; and Lewisville, 500, trade 
$125,000; Bolivar, Argyle, Roanoke, Elizabeth, and Stoney are small vil- 
lages, and the centres of thriving communities. 

Five steam flouring mills find profitable employment in preparing for 
home consumption, and for shipment, the wheat raised in the county, which 
is generally above the standard weight, and is peculiarly valuable for ship- 
ment, owing to its proved capacity of resisting the effect of extreme climatic 
changes. There are seven steam lumber mills in successful operation. 

Large game is not abundant, but ducks and geese are numerous in the 
winter and early spring, and jack rabbits and quail abound at all seasons of 
the year. The ordinary varieties of fish, such as buffalo, bass, perch, and 
pike, are found in all the larger streams. 

A scholastic population of 3023, outside of the limits of the city of Den- 
ton, is enrolled, and there are 84 public free schools, with an average at 
tendance of about 75 per cent. Two hundred and sixty-five children attend 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. DE WITT COUNTY. 83 

the free schools in the city of Denton. These schools are supported by a 
special city tax. in addition to the pro rata of the State school fund. There 
are also a number of private schools of high grade. Church conveniences 
are good, nearly all the leading religious denominations having church or- 
ganizations and buildings. All public buildings are paid for, and there is 
no county debt. The laws are en|orced, and social order prevails. The 
elevation and thorough drainage, in connection with the perennial south 
breeze, renders the general health of the county good. 



DE WITT COUNTY. 

Cuero, the county seat, is 66 miles northwest of the port of Indianola, by 
the line of the Gulf, "West Texas and Pacific Railway, of which it is the 
present inland terminus. Area, 918 square miles. 

Population in 1 870 6,443 

Population in 1880 (29 per cent colored) 10,082 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,270,392 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 2.472,708 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,975,937 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 738,518 

The county is about equally divided between forest and prairie, the sup- 
ply of timber being adequate for fencing and fuel, and much of it suitable 
for building ordinary log houses. The chief varieties are live oak, post oak, 
ash, elm, blackjack, and cottonwood. The Guadalupe, a broad, bold 
stream, flows through the county from north to south, and the Sandies, 
Fulcher, Twelve Mile, Cottonwood, Colita, Clear Fork, Middle Chico, Bar- 
ton's, Big and Little Brushies, and other smaller creeks, distribute an abund- 
ant and convenient water supply, and wells of pure water are easily ob- 
tained in any part of the county at a depth of from 20 to 40 feet. The soil 
in the river and creek valleys is mainly a dark, deep alluvium, and very 
fertile; on the prairies, in some portions a black waxy, and in others a dark 
loam, and in the post oak uplands a light or gray sandy earth, resting on a 
substratum of red clay. These soils are all fairly productive, varying only 
in degree, and the usual yield per acre in ordinary seasons is, of cotton in 
the seed, 600 to 1000 pounds; corn, 25 to 30 bushels; oats, 30 to 50; sweet 
potatoes, 100 to 250; Irish potatoes, 60 to 100; and all vegetables common 
to the latitude are raised in large quantities. Peaches are grown success- 
fully; also plums, grapes, and some of the earlier varieties of apples. The 
mean annual rainfall is 36 inches, and, as a rule, is fairly well distributed 



84 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



throughout the year, but late crops sometimes suffer from drouth. 
Improved farming implements are in general use. Wild land of good 
quality, suitable for farms, can be purchased at from $2 to $5 per acre, and 
improved farms for from $5 to $10, according to location and quality and 
character of improvements. Barbed wire on mesquite posts is generally 
used for fencing, and costs about $250 a mile. Good pine lumber costs 
from $26 to $30 per thousand feet. 

The pasturage is luxuriant and nutritious, and the chief varieties of grass 
are mesquite on the prairies, sedge grass on the timbered uplands, and wild 
millet in the bottoms. Horses, when in use, are fed, and stock cattle thrive 
better if fed in severe winter weather, but they are not fed generally, and 
keep in good condition the year round on the open range. The latest (IS82) 
assessment rolls show in the county SS01 horses and mules, 46,597 cattle, 
71,492 sheep, and 5351 hogs. Work horses are worth from $30 to $40; 
mules, $40 to $60; oxen, $50 a yoke. At retail beef is worth from 5 to 7 
cents per pound; corn 50 cents to SI per bushel. Domestic fowls of every 
kind are raised in large numbers. There are considerable numbers of wild 
turkey and some deer; and catfish, perch, trout, and buffalo are numerous 
in the larger streams. 

The Gulf, West Texas and Pacific Railway has three stations in the 
county, Burnes, Thomaston, and Cuero, the present terminus, which has a 
population of about 1500, and a good trade. Yorktown, with a population 
of 400, and Meyersville, with 150, are thriving villages. On Sandies creek, 
near the northwestern line of the county, are several springs of white sul- 
phur water, possessing valuable medicinal properties, and are the resort of 
invalids. Guadalupe river, in its course of forty miles through the county, 
is believed to be capable of furnishing water power of large capacity, but 
has been so far utilized only to a limited extent. A Clements attachment, 
or new process, cotton mill, run by steam power, is in operation in Cuero, and 
turns out cotton yarns of good quality. It has 16 looms in operation, weav- 
ing cloth from thread prepared for the spindles directly from seed cotton, 
without the intervention of the ordinary gin, press, or compress, and the 
prospects of the financial success of the enterprise are good. The scholastic 
population is 2010, organized into 50 school communities, and the average 
attendance on the public free schools is about 70 per cent. There are also 
six private schools of medium grade in the county, with about 200 pupils. 
There are in Cuero three churches — Union, Roman Catholic, and Presbyte- 
rian; two at Meyersville, and two at Yorktown, and a place of worship in 
nearly every neighborhood, church attendance being very general. Peace 
and order prevail throughout the county, and the laws are enforced vigor- 
ously, and sustained by a sound, healthy public sentiment. The county has 
no debt, and the county tax is twenty cents on the ofte hundred dollars. 
The general health is exceptionally good, the thorough drainage and the 
constant gulf breeze removing all causes of malaria. 



TEXAS 2Y COUNTIES. — riMMIT COUNTY. 85 



DIMMIT COUNTY 

Lies 100 miles southwest of the city of San Antonio, and is separated by 
Maverick county from the Rio Grande. Area, 1290 square miles. 

Population in 1870 109 

Population in 1880 ( 1 G colored) G65 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $436,233 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1SS2 862,419 

Assessed value of taxable live stock in 1SS2 359,039 

The general surface is an undulating prairie, with here and there low 
hills and narrow belts of scattered timber along the water-courses. There 
is little large timber, but much of it is good, and consists mainly of pecan, 
hackberry, elm, and live oak. The Nueces river flows diagonally through 
the county, from northwest to southeast, and the Comanche, Pendencia, 
Rocky, Pena, Carrizo, and San Lorenzo, all running creeks, and the Moro, 
and San Roque, which always hold water, but do not run in very dry years, 
make the water supply very general and convenient. Good, pure water is 
obtained also in wells at 25 to 50 feet below the surface. The running 
streams above mentioned offer facilities for irrigation at moderate expense. 
The mean annual rainfall of 24 inches is irregular and unevenly dis- 
tributed through the year, and irrigation is necessary to assure uniform 
crops. 

The arable lands comprise about two-thirds of its area, and are composed 
of the red lands (a reddish colored soil intermixed with sand), and a dark 
loam, both being easily cultivated and fairly productive, while its entire 
surface affords very superior grazing. Corn yields an average of 20 bushels 
per acre; Irish potatoes, 50; and sweet potatoes, 100 to 150; and melons, 
and all fall, winter, and early spring vegetables that have been tried, do 
well. The red lands are remarkably well adapted to fruit growing, and 
grape vines, and all fruit that have been planted in this kind qf soil grow 
with rapidity, and put on foliage of a darker and richer green than else- 
where in the black soils. 

Stockraising is at present the engrossing interest, and the profits are large 
and certain. According to the assessment of 18S2, the county contains 
11,747 cattle, 1260 horses and mules, 131,660 sheep, and 12,410 goats. 
Winter feed is not required, as all animals keep fat on the nutritious, mes- 
quite grass, which covers hill and plain, and affords abundant pasturage at 
all seasons. As no shelter is used, save what is found on the range under 
bluffs and in thickets of brushwood, there is no greater expense in winter 
than in summer. 



86 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



The price of wild land varies from 50 cents to $2 per acre, and there is 
little or no improved land for sale. Grazing lands may be leased for a term 
of years at three cents per acre per annum. There are about 100 sections 
of State school lands in the county, generally of good quality, which are 
held at $1 and $2 per acre, according to water supply. "Wages of pastores 
and vaqueros average $12 per month for Mexicans, and $15 for Americans. 
Pine lumber for building and fencing purposes cost $40 per 1000 feet. 

The county lies midway between the International and Great Northern, 
and the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railways, which are here 
about 95 miles apart. A railway is projected through the county, with the 
view of reaching the coal fields, recently opened near Carrizo Springs, the 
county seat, a village of 400 inhabitants. This coal is believed to be of 
good quality, and to exist in large quantity. Lead has been found, and 
indications of silver, but no careful explorations have as yet been made. 

The school facilities consist of two public free schools, and an academy 
in Carrizo, taught by a corps of competent teachers, in a substantial build- 
ing, capable of accommodating 200 pupils, and with 75 in attendance, and a 
private school in the county. Religious denominations are represented by 
the Methodists and Baptists, both using the academy as a place of public 
worship. The inhabitants are peaceable, and law-abiding. The climate is 
mild, equable, and very healthful. 



DONLEY COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 35 deg., and west longitude 100 deg., in the north- 
west portion of the State, known as the Panhandle. Clarendon, the county 
seat, is about 357 miles northwest of the city of Austin. Area, 900 square 
miles. Organized in March, 1882. 

Population in 1880 160 

Estimated population in 1SS2 450 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 * $308,226 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 171,052 

The general surface is an elevated plain, travei-sed at intervals by broad 
valleys, and occasionally rising into hills of moderate elevation. The many 
small water-courses are marked in many places by rugged bluffs, and skated 
by a scattered growth of cottonwood, elm, and hackberry. Through the 
county centrally, from w§st to east, flows the Salt Fork of Red River, and a 
number of its smaller tributaries; and Prairie Dog Town Fork, through the 
southern portion; most of them, however, ceasing to run in protracted dr* 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES.— DUVAL COUNTY. 87 

seasons. Sufficient water for stock, however, is held in long, deep holes in 
their beds, and wells are easily obtained. The annual rainfall is estimated 
at about 25 inches, and usually most abundant in June, July, and August. 
and in late autumn. Along the streams the soil is a mellow black or red 
sandy loam, giving evidence of a fair share of fertility; but sufficient farm- 
ing has not been done to test its capacity, stockraising being the engrossing 
pursuit of the sparse population. According to the assessment rolls of 1882, 
there are in the county 438 horses and mules, 19,800 cattle, and 2820 
sheep. Stock is raised on the open range exclusively, and the only expense 
involved is that of marking and branding, and the interest on the money 
originally invested. The principal market for stock is Kansas City. 

Clarendon, the county seat, is a village of about 50 to 100 inhabitants, 
with two stores of general merchandise, and a Methodist church organized 
with a good membership. 

The county is forming school communities, and will receive its propor- 
tion of the public free school fund for the next scholastic year. 

The northwest extension of the Houston and Texas Central Railway is 
completed to a point about 190 miles southeast of Clarendon, and is pro- 
jected to run through or near the county. The line of the Fort "Worth and 
Denver City Railway, now completed to "Wichita Falls, in Wichita county, 
was originally projected to pass through the county, and it is believed it 
will be extended at an early day in that direction. Few portions of the 
State give promise of more rapid development, especially as a stockraising 
country, and at present lands are held at almost nominal figures. The 
county being organized, and the machinery of government put in operation 
on that distant frontier, give assurance that the conservative spirit of law 
and order is in the ascendant, and augers well for the future of this young 
county. A good class of citizens from the older States is coming in and 
adding, not only numbers, but moral and social support to the pioneers. 



DUVAL COUNTY. 

This county lies in Southwestern Texas, midway between the Rio Grande 
and the gulf coast, on the parallel of 27 deg. 40 min. north latitude. Its 
area is 1759 square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,083 

Population in 1880 5,732 

No assessment in 1870. 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $1,504,604 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,919,211 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 641,356 



&8 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

The county is one extended pasture, and. from the preponderance of the 
sheep interest, may properly be termed a great sheep walk. There are a few 
enclosed pastures, but the greater part is open range, and the whole is 
covered with luxuriant grasses. According to the assessment rolls of 1SS2, 
the county has 251,153 sheep, 89,406 goats, 15,111 horses and mules, and 
11,147 cattle, all of which keep in good condition the entire year on the 
range, without other feed. The net weight of a three-year old steer is about 
650 pounds, and of a five-year old, S50 pounds. 

About three-fourths of the area is gently rolling prairie, well drained, and 
with a rich, friable loam soil. The only timber worthy of mention is the 
mesquite trees, which are usually short and scrubby, but very hard, and of 
rapid growth. It is much used for fence posts, and especially valuable for 
fuel, burning readily, and with a bright and steady flame. 

There are no streams in the county which run throughout the year, but 
holes, washed out by the action of the water, in the beds of the streams, 
retain sufficient water for stock at all seasons, while wells of pure water are 
everywhere obtained at a moderate depth. Cisterns, however, are more 
generally used. Farming is not carried on as a business, cultivated land 
being seen only in connection with stock ranches, and limited to raising 
vegetables and corn for the rancheros. Crops so planted have generally 
proved tolerably sure, and the yield moderately good. During the last 
decade, the mean annual rainfall has been 29.30 inches, and more evenly 
distributed than formerly. Summer drouths have become less frequent 
and protracted. Fences are constructed exclusively of posts and barbed 
wire, a good four-wire fence costing about $250 per mile. The market 
price of good pine lumber is about &35 per 1000 feet. 

The nutritious grasses, the prickly pear, and many varieties of low-grow- 
ing succulent shrubs, render the county peculiarly adapted to the raising of 
sheep and goats, which are always healthy and very prolific, the annual 
increase being about 65 per cent. The climate has proved especially favora- 
ble for the finer breeds of goats. The average weight of fleece from com- 
mon sheep is from three to five pounds. Shepherds are paid $12 per 
month, with board. 

Wild lands are worth $1 an acre. There is no cultivated land for sale, 
and little or none for rent. There is a large quantity of State school lands 
that can be bought at $1 lo $2 per acre, on 20 years time, in annual install- 
ments, at 8 per cent interest. 

The Texas Mexican Railway, from Corpus Christi to Laredo, runs through 
the county. San Diego, the county seat, has a population of from 1500 to 
1800, and a good local trade. Benavides, Concepcion, and La Rosita, are 
small villages. 

There are many varieties of wild fruit, but none of any special merit, 
except dewberries and blackberries. Peaches, pears, plums, and grapes 
have recently been planted to some extent, and with such success as to 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. EASTLAND COUNTY. 89 

encourage the belief that the soil and climate are fairly well adapted to their 
growth. 

There are no fish; but antelope, deer, turkeys, prairie chickens, quails, 
raccoons, and opossums are found in abundance. 

There are eight public free schools for a scholastic population of 833, this 
great disproportion being attributable to the large Mexican population, who 
are proverbially indifferent to education. There are two Mexican Catholic 
churches in the county, and also two Methodist Mexican missions. 

The general elevation is about 300 feet above the sea level, the climate 
dry and exceptionally healthful. 



EASTLAND COUNTY. 

This county lies midway between the Colorado and Brazos rivers, in lon- 
gitude 9S deg. 40 min. west from Greenwich, and 32 deg. 15 min. north 
latitude. The Texas and Pacific, and the Texas Central Railways form a 
junction near its centre, at Cisco. Area, 909 square miles. 

Population in 1870 88 

Population in 1880 4,855 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 31,077,682 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,455,373 

Assessed value of live stock in 18S2 157,959 

The general surface of the county is, for the most part, broken and moun- 
tainous, the mountains being generally densely wooded, and presenting in 
some places alternations of lofty peaks and deep gorges. At the foot of 
these mountains are wide, level valleys, with a variety of soils, principally a 
dark, rich loam, and covered with mesquite trees. In other portions are 
broad slightly rolling prairies, carpeted with a luxuriant growth of the sev- 
eral varieties of mesquite grass; and in others, still larger areas of a com- 
pact, mulatto-colored, sandy soil, covered with a thick growth of post oak. 

About two-thirds of the area is timbered, the post oak being generally 
found on the level sandy land, the cedar in the mountain brakes, the elm 
and mesquite in the valleys and "flats," and the pecan, cottonwood, linn, 
live oak, and burr oak in the bottoms bordering the streams. 

The Leon river, and its tributaries, Colony Fork, and Big and Little 
Sandy, are running streams usually for only half the year, but hold at all 
times an unfailing supply of pure water. For domestic use, an abundance 
of pure freestone water is obtained from springs and wells, the latter being 
generally used, and vary in depth from 35 to 45 feet. 



90 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OP 

Stockraising, until within the last few years, has been the leading indus- 
try, but farms are being rapidly opened, and there are estimated to be now 
(1882) probably 10,000 acres in cultivation. One-third of the entire 
county is well suited for farming purposes, is easily tilled, and with ordina- 
rily favorable seasons, and proper cultivation, the yield per acre is, of 
cotton in the seed, from 600 to 800 pounds; corn, 25 to 30 bushels; wheat, 
12 to 18; oats, 40 to 60; rye, 10 to 30; barley, 40 to 60; sweet pota- 
toes, 200 to 300; Irish potatoes, 90 bushels; millet, 2 to 3 tons; and all 
kinds of vegetables common to this latitude do well. The mean annual 
rainfall is 27 inches, and is usually distributed more favorably for fall, 
winter, and early spring crops than those maturing in summer. The 
common worm fence, constructed of post oak rails, costs about $100 a 
mile. The market price of good pine lumber is $27 per thousand feet. 
But little attention has been paid to the cultivation of hedges, but the native 
cactus, which is found in many parts of the county, has proved to be val- 
uable for the purpose, and is of easy growth. Good farming land, unim- 
proved, can be bought for from $1 to $2 per acre. Improved tracts are 
held at from $2 to $10 an acre, according to location, character of land, 
and improvements. There are about 80,000 acres of State school land in 
the county, ranging in quality from the lowest to the best grade, that is 
for sale on 20 years' time, with 8 per cent interest, at a minimum price of 
fi'om $1 to $2 per acre, according to the water supply. There are also 
several leagues of asylum and county school lands that can be bought at 
about the same price. 

According to the latest official returns (1882), there are in the county, 
15,865 cattle, 2995 horses and mules, 3635 sheep, 996 goats, and 5748 hogs. 
Stock require no feed in winter, but keep in good condition on the range. 
The most nutritious grasses are the several varieties of mesquite on the 
prairies and flats, and the sedge and gamma grass in the timber. Good 
work horses are worth $60; mules, $80; oxen, $40 per yoke. In the local 
market, beef retails at 7 cents; mutton 10; pork, 5 to 8; bacon, 12 to 15; 
corn, 50 to 75 cents a bushel; and flour, $5 a hundred pounds. Ordinary 
sheep yield about 3 pounds of wool per annum. There are few fish, but 
deer, turkeys, and several kinds of small game are abundant, and many bear 
are found in the mountains in winter. 

The railroad stations are, Eastland, with 400 inhabitants; Cisco, 550; 
Ranger, 150; Desdernona, 75. 

A vein of anthracite coal of good quality is being worked with some 
degree of success, and it is the opinion of competent geologists that good 
coal, in paying quantities, has been struck. Indications of iron and copper 
have also been found, but no scientific explorations have been made. The 
county is within the narrow belt in which, according to two eminent geolo- 
gists, is disclosed unmistakable indications of the true coal formation, and in 
which will also be found immense quantities of the best iron ore. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. ELLIS COUNTY. 



91 



Thirty eight public free schools are provided for a scholastic population 
of 1122, and the average daily attendance is about 840. Church facilities 
are moderately good. The Presbyterian, Methodist. Baptist, and Christian 
denominations all have organized churches and church buildings. The 
population is peaceable and law-abiding, and the laws are well enforced. 

The county is exceedingly healthful. The atmosphere is dry and bracing. 
The temperature ranges, in summer, from 75 deg. to 95 deg., and in winter, 
from 2S deg;. to 60 deg. 



ELLIS COUNTY 

Lies on the west bank of the Trinity river, in North Central Texas. 
Waxahachie, the county seat, is 295 miles northwest of the port of Galves- 
ton, by the line of the Houston and Texas Central, connecting with the 
Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railway. Area, 946 square miles. 

Population in 1870 7,514 

Population in 1880 (12 per cent colored) 21,294 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,928,808 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 6.:; 7 l,S83 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 7,2 I 1.013 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 859,552 

Its general surface is high, rolling prairie, of which 90 per cent is well 
adapted to agriculture, the only exceptions being the brakes along the 
creeks. Indeed, there is good authority for the statement that scarcely a 
hundred acres in a body can be found which is not fairly good farming 
land. About one-eighth of the land is in cultivation, in tracts averaging 
eighty acres to the farm. Three-fourths of the county, embracing the por- 
tion west of the Houston and Texas Central Railway, is characterized by a 
black waxy soil, and the one-fourth lying east of the line named, by a deep, 
dark loam, both soils being very fertile. The timber, which is mainly con- 
fined to the bottoms of Trinity river, on the eastern border, and of the 
eight creeks which flow through the county from west to east, on an aver- 
age of four miles apart, covers about one-tenth of its whole area. Along 
the Trinity river, the timber is abundant, and of large growth, and on the 
creeks it is reasonably sufficient for all purposes. The principal growth is, 
pecan, elm, hackberry, ash, Cottonwood, bois d'arc, red oak, and walnut. 

Bear, Red Oak, Grove, "Waxahachie, Onion, Chambers, Hog, and Mill 
Creeks are mostly large running streams of clear water, separated by 
elevated ridges, whim afford good drainage, besides conducing much to the 



92 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



general health fulness. Springs are found in some localities, and good well 
water is obtained at a depth of from 18 to 24 feet. Cisterns are also used 
to a considerable extent, and are growing in favor. 

Under ordinarily favorable conditions, the yield per acre of the several 
crops is, of cotton in the seed, 800 pounds; corn, 25 to 30 bushels; wheat, 
15; oats, 40; Irish potatoes, 90; sweet potatoes, 200. Melons and vegeta- 
bles of every description are raised in great abundance. Peaches, pears, 
apples, plums, and apricots all do well. The native grape grows along tho 
wooded streams, and pecan nuts and walnuts are plentiful in the same sec- 
tions. The wild lands produce fine pasturage, but the best ranges are being 
rapidly converted into farms, and stock is more profitably raised in enclosed 
pastures. 

Unimproved lands sell at from $3 to $10, and improved tracts at from 
$10 to $30 per acre, according to location. The average rental of culti- 
vated land, with necessary houses, is from $3.50 to $5 per aere, or one- 
fourth of the cotton and one-third of the grain. When the landlord 
furnishes everything to the tenant, except family supplies, he receives one 
half of the crop. Improved farming implements are in general use. The 
mean annual rainfall is 38 inches, and, as a rule, is distributed with sufficient 
uniformity to insure a fair average of crops from year to year. Bois d'aro 
hedges have been tried to some extent, and with such success as to induce 
the belief that this method of enclosing farms may be generally and 
advantageously adopted in the near future. 

The Houston and Texas Central Railway runs north and south through 
the eastern part of the county, with the following stations: Ferris, with 
about 300 inhabitants; Palmer. 150; Garrett, and Ennis, the latter with a 
population of 2000, and an annual trade of 8600,000. The Texas Central 
and Northwestern Railway, at present in operation from Garrett to Waxa- 
hachie, is projected westward through the county, and the Northeastern 
Branch of the same road extends from Garrett to Terrell, on the Texas and 
Pacific, and the Chicago, Texas and Mexican Central Railway passes through 
the northwestern corner. 

Waxahachie, the county seat, has a population of 2000, and an annual 
trade of about 81,000,000. 

The number of live stock, as assessed in 1882, is, cattle, 31,026; horses 
and mules, 13,875; sheep, 2183; goats, 110; hogs, 82S9. Work horses can 
be purchased for about 845 per head; mules, $S7.50; oxen, $45 per yoke. 

For a scholastic population of 4244, there are 85 public free schools 
organized and in operation, with an average attendance of 3183 children. 
Tho town of Ennis has assumed the management of its public schools, sev- 
eral of which are of a high grade. Marvin College:, at Waxahachie, has 
230 pupils, is conducted as a free school, and teaches a thorough course. 

Church buildings are found in almost every neighborhood, and are gen- 
erally commodious and substantial, if not elegant. The Methodist, 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. EL PASO COUNTY. 



93 



Baptist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Christian denom- 
inations are all largely represented. 

The general surface of the county being well drained, and exposed to the 
uninterrupted play of the Texas U'ade winds, few or no local causes of 
sickness are present. The mean maximum summer temperature is 85 deg., 
and the mean minimum winter temperature 37 deg. 

Whilst there is no great wealth in the hands of individuals, there are few 
or no communities where the people are more generally good for their con- 
tracts, or among whom prevails a higher respect for law and order. 



EL PASO COUNTY 

Is the extreme northwestern county of the State, on the Rio Grande, and 
lies between the meridians 104 deg. 10 min., and 106 deg. 28 min. of longi- 
tude west of Greenwich. Area, 8188 square miles. 

Population in 1870 3,671 

Population in 1880 (247 colored and 46 per cent Mexican) 3,845 

Estimated population in 1882 8,000 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $821,043 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,047,420 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 3,974,444 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 51,631 

The surface of the county is mountainous, being travei'sed by the Guada- 
lupe, Hueco, Carrizo, Franklin, Quitman, Diabolo, and Eagle mountains, 
while extensive plains lie between these several ranges. The Rio Grande 
forms the western boundary for nearly 140 miles, and its fertile valley, 
from one to five miles wide on the Texas side, is estimated to contain not less 
than 100,000 acres that are easily irrigable from the river. Of the entire 
area, not more than 100 square miles are timbered lands, the timber con- 
sisting of cottonwood, pine, mesquite, and tornillo. The pineries are situa- 
ted in the mountains north of the Guadalupe Pass, and are somewhat diffi- 
cult of access, but the quality of the pine is good, and affords excellent tim- 
ber for building and fencing. The cottonwood is used for fuel and for 
" vegas " or cross beams for adobe houses. 

The soil of the Rio Grande valley is a pure alluvium, from two to ten 
feet in depth, resting on a bed of sand, and is remarkably adapted to the 
production of grain, fruits, and vegetables. Fruit trees attain very large 
size, their roots probably penetrating the sand (which is supplied with mois- 
ture by the river), and pear trees, especially, are believed to be the largest 



94 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

of their kind in America, many of them measuring 2^- to 3 feet in diameter. 
This valley may be called the home of the grape, which has been exten- 
sively cultivated on the Mexican side since the earliest Spanish occupation, 
and on the Texas side since 1828. The grapes are of delicious quality, and 
the wine made of them is excellent. Besides pears and grapes, there are 
many orchards of apples and plums (common and damson), all attaining 
great perfection in size and flavor. In this dry climate irrigation is indis- 
pensable to successful agriculture, and the average yield per acre of the 
staple crops is, of wheat, 20 bushels; corn, 30; oats, 50; potatoes, Irish, 
150, and sweet, 200; alfalfa, 4 tons; hay, 3 tons. Onions grow to very 
large size, are of mild, delicate flavor, and yield abundantly, as do all gar- 
den vegetables known to the temperate zone. The mean annual rainfall for 
the past five years, as registered at Fort Bliss, near the town of El Paso, 
was 13.03 inches. In 1881, the rainfall was over 20 inches, and confined, 
for the most part, to the months of May, July, August and September. 
Labor is generally paid for in money, at the rate of $15 per month, there 
being no farming on shares. The rental of cultivated land is, $2.50 per 
acre. There are about 10,000 acres in cultivation in the county. 

The Rio Grande furnishes almost unlimited water power at a point just 
above the town of El Paso, where the stream has cut its way through the 
mountains, and here has been established, for a quarter of a century, a largf 
flouring and grist mill. There are two other water-power flouring mills in 
the county. Delaware creek is a small stream, rising in the mountains and 
emptying into the Pecos river, whose waters may also be cheaply utilized 
for irrigation. "Water for domestic purposes is obtained in abundance from 
these streams and irrigating canals, and also from wells, 10 to 30 feet deep, 
and of excellent quality. 

Of live stock, El Paso county has, according to the assessment rolls of 
1882, 1319 cattle, 697 horses and mules, 4230 sheep, 846 goats, and 272 hogs. 
The cost of raising live stock is almost nominal; the animals subsist and 
keep f;it the year round on the grass, and no winter feed is required. The 
principal grass is the gamma, which covers the plains and grows high up 
on the hills and mountain sides. It is a bunch grass, and retains its succu- 
lence and nutritive substance during the winter, even when to outward 
appearance it is dry and dead. 

The county seat, Ysleta, with 1700 inhabitants, El Paso, with about 2000, 
Socorro, and San Elizario, with 1500 each, are all situated on the Rio 
Grande. Each of these towns has its own system of irrigating ditches, and 
is embowered in a mass of dark green foliage of the pear, peach, plum, 
quince, and other varieties of trees, while large grain fields extend in all 
directions, watered from the ditches, and yielding harvests with a regularity 
unknown elsewhere. 

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway forms a junction at El Paso 
with the Southern Pacific, and also with the Mexican Central, which has 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. ERATH COUNTY. 



95 



reached Chihuahua, and is rapidly progressing towards the City of Mexico. 
The Texas and Pacific connects with the Southern Pacific at Sierra Blanca, 
91 miles southeast of the town of El Paso, the three roads thus supplying 
convenient transportation to a large portion of the county. The trade of 
the county flows to San Francisco, Kansas City and St. Louis. 

Silver and lead ores of medium grade are found in the mountains, and 
also coal and gypsum, the latter in abundant quantity. The coal is also 
believed to be of good quality, and in large quantity. 

The scholastic population is 584, with only four public free schools, all of 
low grade; and also a Roman Catholic convent at San Elizario. Mexican 
Catholic churches at Ysleta, Socorro, and San Elizario; and at El Paso. 
Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic church 
organizations, but all are not yet supplied with church buildings. As a 
rule, the people are orderly, law-abiding, and industrious. 

The altitude of the county is about 3500 feet above the sea level, and the 
atmosphere is pure and very healthful. 



ERATH COUNTY 

Lies in Northwestern Texas, on the line of the Texas Central Railway, 
and Stephensville, the county seat, is about 65 miles southwest of Fort. 
Worth, and about 90 miles northwest of Waco. Area, 1042 square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,801 

Population in 1880 (257 colored) , 11,790 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $356,916 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,240,917 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 444,558 

The general surface is high and rolling, and a number of streams have 
their sources in the county, some or which 2ot north, some east, and some 
south. In the northern portion are ranges of hills of considerable altitude. 
In other portions are low rocky hills, not suitable for cultivation, but afford- 
ing good pasturage, especially for sheep. Between all these ranges of hills 
are broad valleys, the soil of which is generally a dark mellow loam, easily 
tilled and fairly productive. The soils of the prairies and the timbered up- 
lands are also of good quality, but not so highly esteemed for purposes of 
agriculture as that of the valleys. It is about equally divided between 
woodland and prairie, and two-thirds of the area is suitable for farming 
purposes. The leading varieties of timber are, post oak, live oak, Spanish 
oak, walnut, pecan, elm, and cottonwood, which are generally small, but on 
the streams much of it is large and of good quality. 



96 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

An unfailing supply of water is furnished, at all seasons, by the Bosque 
river, and Green's, Alarm, Paluxy, Armstrong, Risley's, Gilmore's, Barton's, 
Sandy, and Richardson's creeks. In dry seasons, some of these streams 
cease to run, but in most of them the water stands in long deep holes, and 
remains pure and clear. Good springs are numerous, and wells are ob- 
tained at moderate depth. Cisterns are aiso much used. 

The mean annual rainfall for the last seven years has been about 27 
inches, and the seasons are, as a rule, more favorable for the cereals and 
cotton than for corn and midsummer vegetables. In ordinary seasons the 
production per acre is, of cotton, one-third to a half a bale; corn, 25 to 30 
bushels; wheat, 14 to 18; oats, 40 to 80; rye, 10 to 20; sweet potatoes. 150; 

illet, 2 to 3 tons; sorghum syrup, 100 gallons. With proper care and atten- 
tion, nearly all the vegetables common to the latitude, and especially fall, win- 
ter, and early spring vegetables are raised with fair success. Improved farm- 
ing implements are largely used for the preparation of the soil as well as 
for cultivation and harvesting. Peaches, plums, and grapes grow well and 
oear fine fruit, but apples and pears, so far as tried, have not been success- 
ful. The pecan trees bear large crops of nuts, generally more abundant on 
alternate years. Unimproved farming lands are worth from $1.50 to $2 an 
acre, and improved farms from $5 to $10, according to the character of soil 
and value of improvements. The rental of cultivated land is $3 an acre, or 
one-third the grain, and one-fourth the cotton. There are in the county 
about 6000 acres of State school lands, of medium quality, which can be 
bought at from $1 to $2 an acre, on twenty years' time, payable in instil- 
ments, at 8 per cent interest. 

The county has, according to the assessment rolls of 18S2, 7421 horses 
and mules, 33,342 cattle, 10,759 sheep, 59 1 goats, and 12,477 hogs. Stock 
are raised almost exclusively on the range, and in winter find shelter in the 
timber and behind the hills, but in exceptionally severe weather home-raised 
gentle stock are fed more or less. The market price of work horses is $40 
to $60; mules, $75; oxen, $50 a yoke. In the local market, beef retails at 
5 cents per pound; mutton, 7; pork, 6; bacoa, 12-^; corn, 50 cents per 
bushel; flour, $3 per 100 pounds. There are a few deer and turkeys, and 
large numbers of squirrels, quails, and jack rabbits. The common varieties 
of fish, such as cat, perch, trout, etc., are numerous in the large streams. 
Ordinary rail worm fence costs about $175 a mile, and rock fence about 
$490 a mile. The market price of good pine lumber is from $28 to $30 
per thousand feet. 

Four flouring mills and four cotton gins, all run by steam, find profitable 
employment in preparing for home consumption, and for market, the wheat 
and cotton raised in the county. The Texas Central Railway runs through 
the southern' portion, and has three stations, Alexander, Dublin, and Mount 
Airy. Stephensville, the county seat, about twelve miles from the railroad 
has a population of about 800, and an estimated trade of $400,000; Dublin, 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. FALLS COUNTY. 97 

a population of 400; Alexander, 250; Duffau, 250; Morgan's Mill, 100. 
Near Daffau are several mineral wells, which are much resorted to by 
invalids, and are believed to possess valuable medicinal properties. 

This county is within the belt of the true coal formation, as pointed out 
by the eminent geologists, Shumard and Boll, and coal of good quality is 
found in the northern part. No systematic exploration has been made, but 
competent judges express the opinion that the deposit is very large. 

For a scholastic population of 2046, there are 69 public free schools, 
which are taught three and a half months in the year. Church conve- 
niences are tolerably good in nearly every part of the county. The Baptist, 
Methodist, Christian, and Presbyterian denominations have organized 
churches. The population is generally quiet, and law-abiding, and the laws 
are vigorously enforced. 

The county has a bonded debt of $15,000, a floating debt of about $5000, 
and the county tax is 50 cents on the $100. 

The general surface is 200.0 feet above the sea level, and being entirely 
free from marshes or swamps, the county is in the highest degree healthy. 
The summer temperature ranges from 70 deg. to 95 deg., and the winter, 
from 25 de°r. to 60 de2\ 



FALLS COUNTY 

Derives its name from the falls of the Brazos river within its borders. 
Marlin, the county seat, is 211 miles northwest of the port of Galveston, 
by the line of the Houston and Texas Central, connecting with the Galveston, 
Houston and Henderson Railway. Area, 925 square miles. 

Population in 1870 9,851 

Population in 1S80 (40 per cent colored) 16,240 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,704,262 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 3,483,900 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 501,024 

The surface is level, or gently undulating, with no hills of much elevation, 
but with a general and gradual declination towards the larger streams. 
Rather more than half the area is prairie, and the remainder is covered with 
a luxuriant, forest growth, consisting mainly of the several kinds of oak, ash, 
elm, pecan, hackberry, cedar, cottonwood and mesquite. The Brazos river 
flows nearly centrally through the county from northwest to southeast, and, 
together with the Little Brazos and Old river, and Big Blaze, Big Sandy. 
Deer and Lake creeks, and Cow and Fish bayous, distribute a never- 



98 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

failing and convenient water supply to all portions of the county. Wells 
of pure water are easily obtained, and cisterns for drinking water and 
tanks for stock water, when a stream is not hand, are in general use. The 
soil of the upland prairie is generally black waxy, admirably suited to 
corn and cotton; of the timbered uplands, gray-sandy, a free soil, easy to 
cultivate; and of the Brazos bottoms, a reddish-brown alluvium, the latter 
being very deep and almost equally good for all crops. The usual yield per 
acre is, of cotton in the seed, 800 to 1000 pounds; corn, 30 to 35 bushels; 
wheat, 12; oats, 35; molasses, 200 gallons; potatoes. Irish, 100, and sweet, 
200 bushels. Vegetables of all kinds are successfully grown. Peaches 
and plums do well, and pecans and dewberries are abundant. The moan 
annual rainfall is about 40 inches, and protracted summer drouths are very 
rare. Wild lands can be bought at from $1.50 to $5 per acre, and tracts 
with a portion in cultivation and ordinary buildings, at from $2 to $15 per 
acre. The rental of cultivated land is from $2 to $4 per acre, or more 
generally for one-fourth of the corn and one-third of other crops. Farm 
labor is paid $12 to $15 per month with board, and steady, reliable laborers 
are in great demand. 

The hardy sedge grass and the more nutritious and succulent mesquite, 
grow luxuriantly, and furnish unfailing pasturage the year round. 
According to the latest assessment rolls (1882) there are in the county 
21,751 cattle, 10,876 horses and mules, 9480 sheep and 7969 hogs. For 
the latter the oak and pecan mast are usually sufficient, and little corn is 
given them until put up to fatten for pork. Work horses can be bought 
for $40 per head, mules $65, and oxen $50 per yoke. 

The Waco division of the Houston and Texas Central Railway passes 
through the county from southeast to northwest, and the main line of that 
road through the eastern corner, the principal stations being Marlin, with 
about 2000 inhabitants and an annual trade of $500,000; Reagan, with 300, 
and a trade of about $30,000; and Perry. The falls of the Brazos river, near 
the centre of the county, is believed to afford water power of great volume 
and capacity, which could be cheaply utilized, but no attempt has been so 
far made in that direction. There is one cotton seed oil mill and a number 
of flouring and grist mills, operated by steam, sufficient for the present 
needs of the county. 

The scholastic population is 2691, for which there 34 public free schools 
in operation for white and 29 for colored pupils, with an average daily 
attendance, white and colored, of 1913. There are also a number of 
private schools, confined principally to the elementary branches. The Meth- 
odist and Baptist denominations have the largest membership and the greatest 
number of church edifices, but each of the Christian sects have established 
one or more churches, and religious services are very generally attended. 
The people are peaceable and law-abiding. The general health of the cc nty 
is quite as good as that of any fertile, cotton-producing section in the 
South. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. FANNIN COUNTY. 99 



FANNIN COUNTY 

Lies on the meridian of 96deg. of longitude west of Greenwich, and fronts 
for a distance of fifty miles on Red River. It was organized in 1837, and 
named in honor of Col. J. W. Fannin, butchered near Goliad, by Mexican 
orders, the preivous year, together with almost his entire command. Area, 
900 square miles. 

Population in 1870 13,207 

Population in 1880 (13^ per cent colored) 25,501 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $2,400,131 

Assessed value of taxable property in 18S2 5,148,300 

Assessed value of live stock in 18S2 689,233 

The general surface is high and rolling, and about one-third is covered 
with a heavy forest growth, composed principally of bois d'arc, black 
walnut, oak of the several kinds, hickory, ash, pecan, elm, and hackberry. 
Bois d'arc is quite abundant, attains large size, and is much used in the 
manufacture of carriages, wagons, and furniture, and is preferred to all 
other timber for fencing and railway ties. The value of the annual ship- 
ments of the seed of the bois d'arc to the Northwestern States aggregates 
a very large sum. The walnut, ash and oak are more abundant and only 
less valuable for many purposes than the bois d'arc. 

The principal streams, the most of which flow northward into Red River, 
are Bois d'Arc, Caney, Coffee Mill, Bullard, Sloan, Ho'ney, and North 
Sulphur Fork, the latter rising in the southern portion of the county and 
flowing eastward. "Water for domestic purposes is generally obtained from 
wells, at a moderate depth, but cisterns, also, are in common use, and are 
preferred. 

In the southern portion of the county the black waxy land is the prevail- 
ing soil, and in this section corn and cotton are most successfully grown. 
Next comes a wide belt of light, varying to dark, loam, more especially 
adapted to wheat and fruit growing; and lastly, the reddish-brown, alluvial 
bottoms of the Red River, which are almost equally suited to each of the 
crops named. The entire river front of Fannin, ten miles in width, is 
believed to be unsurpassed for the production of all the fruits common to 
this latitude. A very large proportion, perhaps four-fifths, of the lands, are 
susceptible of profitable cultivation, and of this, not exceeding one-tenth is 
cultivated, the farms averaging fifty acres. Under ordinarily favorable 
conditions, the yield per acre is, one-half to three-quarters of a bale of 
co >n; 30 to 35 bushels of corn; 12 to 15 of wheat; 50 of oats; 150 
gallons of sorghum syrup; 2 tons of hay; 100 bushels of Irish and 200 of 



3 CO RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

sweet potatoes. Garden vegetables and melons of all kinds are raised in 
profusion. The fruits found to succeed best are peaches, pears, plums, cher- 
ries, apples, of the early variecie-, strawberries and raspberries; grapes of sev- 
eral kinds, are cultivated with great success, while pecans, wild plums, and 
grapes of several kinds are abundaat in the timbered portions of the 
county. The mean annual rainfall is 40 inches, and so distributed through 
the year, that crop failures from drought are of rare occurrence. 

Wild lands can be purchased for from $2 to $8 per acre. A large pro- 
portion of these lands are of good quality, with timber amply sufficient for 
fencing, building, and fuel, and generally with streams of running water. 
From $8 to $25 is asked for tracts having a part in cultivation and supplied 
with necessary improvements. The rental for good farms ranges from 
$2.50 to $4 per acre, or one-fourth of the cotton and one-third of other crops, 
The usual market price of corn is 75 cents per bushel; wheat, $1.25; flour. 
$4.50 per hundred pounds, and other home supplies at corresponding 
prices. 

Stockraising is only second in importance and profits to agriculture, and 
the two industries a>*e almost always combined, and made to supplement 
each other. The native grasses are moderately abundant and very nutri- 
tious, and stock-cattle and mules and horses require very little feed to carry 
them over the winter months. The improved breeds of cattle and hogs are 
engaging increased attention, to the great advantage of stockraising farm- 
ers. There are in the county, according to the assessment rolls of 18S2, 
31,754 cattle, 13,109 horses and mules, 7079 sheep, 24,561 hogs, and 117 
goats. Work horses bring an average price of about $50 per head; mules, 
$80; and oxen $50 per yoke. 

A number of factories for wagons, carriages, furniture and farming 
implements, and flouring and saw mills, driven by steam, are in successful 
operation. But the abundance of bois d'arc, ash, walnut, and oak timber 
would lead to the conclusion that the manufacture of all the articles com 
posed of wood, on a large scale, would yield handsome returns on the capital 
invested. 

The Texas and Pacific Railway runs east and west centrally through the 
county, and the Missouri Pacific through the southwestern corner, the 
former having the following stations: Bonham, the county seat, with about 
3000 inhabitants, and a yearly trade of $600,000; Honey Grove, 1200, 
and a trade of $250,000; Dodd City, with 600 inhabitants, and trade of 
$100,000; and Savoy, 800 inhabitants, annual trade, $100,000. Ladonia is 
a town of about 1000 inhabitants, in the southern part of the county, sur- 
rounded by a populous and thriving farming community; Richlandville is 
a station on the Missouri Pacific line. 

The county tax is 20 cents on $100, and there is a considerable balance 
in the treasury. The scholastic population is 6022; total number of free 
schools, 108 (92 white and 16 colored), and the average daily attendance 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. FAYETTE COUNTY. 101 

4000. There are twelve private schools of high grade, and conducted with 
fair success. The Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Christian and Episco- 
pal denominations are all largely represented, both in church edifices and 
membership, and the people, as a rule, are moral, intelligent and law- 
abiding. 

The general health of the county is good; no prevailing sickness and no 
epidemics. 



FAYETTE COUNTY 

Is bisected by the Colorado river, and LaGrange, the county seat, is 1 1 7 
miles north of west of the city of Houston, by the line of the Columbus 
and LaGrange, connecting with the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Anto- 
nio Railway. Area, 963 square miles. 

Population in 1870 16,863 

Population in 1880 (40 per cent foreign and 31 percent colored). 27,996 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $3,073,880 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 5,810,466 

Assessed value of live stock 468,826 

About one-half the area is high rolling prairie, traversed by many small 
creeks and branches, which flow the year round. The timber of the up- 
lands is composed principally of post oak and blackjack of small size, and 
on the river and other streams, of pecan, burr oak, pin oak, white oak, 
elm, mulberry, cedar, hackberry, and cotton wood, much of which is 
large, and the supply for fencing, fuel, and other domestic purposes is 
ample. The Colorado, and the East and the West Navidad rivers, and Buck- 
ner's, Cummings, Mulberry, Robb's, and Williams creeks, well distributed 
over the county, afford abundant water at all seasons. Springs are numer- 
ous, and wells of good water are easily obtained. The mean annual rainfall 
is 38 inches, and crops rarely suffer from protracted drouths. The soils of 
the prairies are divided between a black loam and a black tenacious lime 
land, and in the bottoms, between a chocolate loam and a stiff black waxy 
earth; the timbered lands being a light, or gray sandy, and in some portions 
gravelly. Over three-fourths of the entire county is susceptible of profitable 
cultivation, and with proper tillage, and ordinary seasons, the yield per acre 
is, of cotton, from one-half bale to a bale; corn, 25 to 40 bushels; potatoes 
Irish, 100, and sweet, 200; wheat, 12; sorghum syrup, 250 to 400 gal- 
lons. The United States Census Cotton Bulletin gives the total produc- 
tion of cotton in this county, in 1879, at 24,766 bales, being the largest 



102 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

number raised, in that year, in any county in the State. Vegetables, and 
fruits of all kinds common to the latitude, are successfully grown. Unim- 
proved lands vary in price from $2.50 to $20 per acre, and improved tracts 
from $15 to $40. Wages of from $10 to $15 a month are paid farm labor- 
ers. The usual rental of land is one-fourth the cotton, and one-third of 
other crops, or where the landlord furnishes land, teams, and everything 
except family supplies for the laborer, he receives one-half the crop. The 
increased number and extent of farms have greatly reduced the area of open 
.grazing lands, and a large portion of the stock in the county is confined in 
pastures. Much attention is being given to the breeding of improved stock. 
According to the latest assessment rolls (1881), there are in the county, 
11,421 horses and mules, 29,611 cattle, 5365 sheep, and 13,018 hogs. Work 
horses are worth about $75 per head; mules, $100; oxen, $55 a yoke. Beef 
retails at 8 cents per pound; mutton, 10; pork, 8 to 10; bacon, 15; corn, 50 to 
75 cents a bushel; flour, $4 a hundred. There are some deer and turkeys, 
and ducks, geese and prairie chickens in large numbers. Trout, perch, cat, 
.gaspergoo, and buffalo fish are found in all the larger streams. 

The western branch of the Houston and Texas Central Railway touches 
the extreme north end of the county, and has one station, Ledbetter. The 
Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway passes through the south- 
ern part, and has two stations, Schulenberg and Platonia, and the LaGrange 
branch of the latter road runs from Columbus to LaGrange, and has two 
stations, Ellinger and LaGrange. LaGrange, the county seat, has a pop- 
ulation of about 2000; Schulenberg, 1200; Flatonia, 1300; Round Top, 
"250; Fayetteville, 350; Ledbetter, 175; and there are a number of country 
trading points with from 50 to 150 inhabitants each, and a good local trade. 
The manufacturing interests are represented by one cotton seed oil mill, 
one planing mill, three cigar factories, and three breweries. There are also 
-about fifty cotton gins and grist mills in the county. 

The scholastic population is 4467, for which there are 127 public free 
schools, with an average attendance of about 75 per cent. The available 
school fund for the year 1881, was, from the county fund, $10,299.86, and 
from the State fund, $13,438; and for the year ending August 31, 1883, it 
is, from the State, $16,155. There are several good private schools in the 
•county, and at the expiration of the free school term, many of the public 
free schools are continued as private pay schools. The county tax is twenty 
cents on the one hundred dollars, and the city tax in LaGrange twenty- 
five cents. There is a county debt of about $9000. 

The Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, and Roman 
Catholic denominations have churches in the county, and both the white 
and colored population are provided with good church conveniences in 
•every neighborhood. About 40 per cent of the population is of foreign 
birth, divided between Germans and Bohemians, and the spirit of peace and 
order that characterizes those nationalities prevail in the county generally. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. FORT BEND COUNTY. 10$ 

Chills and fever, usually of a mild type, occur more or less frequently in 
and near the river bottoms in summer, but elsewhere the general health is 
very good. The mean summer temperature is 85 deg., and mean winter 
temperature, 45 deg. 



FORT BEND COUNTY. 

This county is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Brazoria. Rich- 
mond, the county seat, is 63 miles, by the line of the Gulf, Colorado and 
Santa Fe Railway, northwest of the port of Galveston, and 34 miles, by the 
Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway, south of west of the city 
of Houston. Area, 889 square miles. 

Population in 1870 7,114 

Population in 1880 (SO per cent colored) 9,380 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,288,488 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 2,866,366 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 3,470,608 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 714,393 

Two-thirds of its area is level or slightly undulating alluvial prairie, 
which slopes by a gradual descent towards the gulf. The Brazos river, 
which is navigable for light-draft steamboats to Richmond, flows in a wind- 
ing course nearly centrally through the county, the San Bernard forms its 
western boundary for 35 miles, and Oyster Creek, in the eastern portion, 
has a length of about 30 miles within its borders. Besides these there are 
Jones and Big creeks, and many other smaller streams. There are few or 
no springs, and drinking water is obtained from wells at a moderate depth, 
but cisterns are preferred and generally used. Along the water courses are 
wide belts of luxuriant forest growth, composed chiefly of live oak, black 
walnut, burr oak, pin oak, pecan, elm, cypress, and cedar. The live oak is 
very abundant, and of large growth. A collection has been made by a 
competent arborist of 54 distinct varieties of trees indigenous to the county. 
Cane, wild peach and black haw are the most common undergrowth on the 
Brazos bottoms, which include those of Oyster and Jones creeks as well. 
About two-thirds of the entire area are good farming lands. The soil of 
the prairies is diversified by the black, tenacious "hog-wallow," and a dark 
rich loam, and that of the Brazos bottoms by a reddish brown alluvium, 
from 15 to 20 feet deep, which is noted for its productiveness and durabil- 
ity. The ordinary yield per acre is, of cotton, three-fourths of a bale; corn, 
35 bushels; sugar, 1200 pounds, and molasses, 160 gallons; potatoes, Irish, 150 



104 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

bushels; sweet, 300; millet, 2 tons. All vegetables common to the lati- 
tude grow well, and yield in profusion. The mean annual rainfall is 46 
inches, and is generally so distributed as to insure abundant harvests of all 
kinds of crops. The county is in what is known as the sugar belt of Texas, 
and there was produced, according to the United States census of 1880, on 
1738 acres of land, 1827 hogsheads of sugar, and 119,079 gallons of molas- 
ses. Ordinary fencing costs from $125 to §150 a mile. But little atten- 
tion has been paid to hedges. Improved agricultural implements are used 
to only a limited extent, but their use is increasing. Unimproved farming 
lands can be bought at from $1 to $6 per acre, and improved farms for 
from $10 to $25, according to the extent and character of improvements. 

The native grasses grow in tropical luxuriance, and furnish ample sub- 
sistence to tl;e following number of stock, according to the assessment rolls 
of 1882: 75,310 cattle, 7028 horses and mules, 634 sheep, and supple- 
mented by the forest mast, to 3635 hogs. All kinds of stock are raised, 
and keep in good condition on the range the year round. Work horses are 
worth from $40 to $60; mules, $60 to $100; oxen, per yoke, $50. In the 
local market, beef retails at from 5 to 7 cents; pork, 5 to 7; bacon, 12; 
corn, 50 cents a bushel; flour, $7 to $10 a barrel. Many kinds of fresh 
water fish abound in the lakes and streams, and in the forests and prairies, 
deer, turkeys, prairie chickens, quails, and squirrels. 

It is believed by competent engineers that water-power of large capacity 
can be obtained, at small cost, from the Brazos river at Richmond, but no 
effort to utilize it has been made. 

In addition to the railways named, the Texas "Western Narrow Gauge 
runs through the north corner of the county, and the New York, Texas and 
Mexican from the county seat southwestwardly through the county. 

Richmond has a population of about 1500, and there are nine other rail- 
road stations in the county. 

There is a scholastic population of 2292, for which there are 39 public 
free schools, with an average attendance of 70 per cent. The Episcopal, 
Methodist, Baptist, and Roman Catholic denominations have churches in 
the county, and church conveniences are moderately good. The relations 
between the two races have, of late years, become more and more satisfac- 
tory and beneficial to both, and law and order prevail. The county has no 
debt, and the county tax is twenty-five cents on the one hundred dollars. 

The general health of the county is good, with the occasional exception 
of light malarial attacks in the summer and fall, such as are more or less 
common to all countries possessing a teeming soil. The extremes of heat 
and cold are greatly modified by the constant gulf breezes. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — FRANKLIN COUNTY. 105 



FRANKLIN COUNTY. 

This county is the fourth from the eastern boundary of the State, in the 
second tier of counties south of Red River. Area, 310 square miles. It 
was formed of a portion of Titus county, after the census and assessment 
of 1870. 

Population in 1880 (1 1| per cent colored) 5 > 28(> 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 526,643 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 107, 90S 

Hie general surface is undulating, and a very large proportion is suscept- 
%>fe of profitable cultivation. The best farming lands are a dark or a 
light gray loam, both of which are fairly productive and characterized by 
great uniformity of crops. The county is about equally divided between 
forest and prairie. It is estimated, by the Forestry Bulletin, issued by the 
United States Census Bureau, that there is standing in the county, of mer- 
chantable pinus mitts, or short leafed pine, 448,000,000 feet, board measure. 
Sphere is also a variety of other timber, such as oak of the several kinds, 
hickory, ash, elm, and black walnut, especially the latter, and all growing 
to large size. The principal streams are North Sulphur Fork, Big Cypress, 
Dry Cypress and White Oak creeks. The North Sulphur Fork is a large 
tributary of Red River, and is the dividing line between Franklin and 
Red River counties. Springs of pure water are numerous, and wells are 
easily obtained, but cisterns are also used to some extent. The mean annual 
rainfall is about 40 inches, and is generally very evenly distributed through- 
out the year. The soils are adapted to a diversity of crops. Under favor- 
able conditions, cotton yields, per acre, from 600 to 800 pounds in the seed; 
corn, 25 to 30 bushels; wheat, 10 to 15; oats, 30 to 50; rye, 15 to 20; barley, 25 
to 30; potatoes, Irish, 75; sweet, 150 to 300. Both ribbon cane and sor- 
ghum grow well, and return a large yield. Peaches, plums, apples, and 
pears are successfully grown, where proper care and attention are given 
them. Vegetables of all kinds grow in profusion. Unimproved land, 
suitable for farms, can be bought for from $2 to $5 per acre, and improved 
tracts at an increase of price proportional to the value of the improvements. 
Cultivated land can be rented for from $2 to $5 per acre, or for one- 
third of the corn and one fourth of the cotton. Native grasses, both on the 
prairies and in the timber, afford good pasturage, and the post oak and 
other mast is for about two years in three sufficient to fatten hogs for mar- 
ket or home consumption. Stock, except such as is used for work and 
riding purposes, is rarely fed in winter, but keep in fair condition entirely 
on the range. There are in the county, according to the assessment rolls 



HK5 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OP 

(1881), 1936 horses and mules, 6326 cattle, 2988 sheep, and 9539 hogs. 
Work horses are worth from $45 to $70; mules, $60 to $90; oxen, $40 to 
$60 per yoke. Beef retails at 5 cents a pound; mutton, 6; pork, 6 to 8; 
bacon, 12 to 15; corn, 50 to 75 cents a bushel; flour, $4.50 to $5 per hun- 
•dred pounds. Domestic fowls are easily raised in large numbers. There is 
but little game, but fish of the common kinds are numerous. The East 
Line and Red River Railroad runs through the extreme southern corner, 
and there is one station in the county. Mount Vernon, the county seat, has 
a population of about 1000, and has a local trade of about $100,000; and 
Hogan's Port, Purley, and Gray Rock are thriving local trading points. There 
is a sufficient number of saw and flouring mills, run by steam, to supply the 
local demand. Pine lumber is worth $12 per thousand at the mills. 

The Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and Christian denominations have 
•church organizations, and many houses of worship, and church conveniences 
are unusually good. There are 30 public free schools, for a scholastic pop- 
ulation of 820, with an average attendance of about 75 per cent. There 
are also a number of high grade private schools. 

In point of health, the county stands high, and with the exception of 
slight malarial attacks, in and near the bottoms, in summer, sickness is rare. 



FREESTONE COUNTY. 

This county has for its eastern boundary line the Trinity river, and the 
town of Wortham, in the northwest corner of the county, a station on the 
Houston and Texas Central Railway, is 190 miles north-northwest of the 
<jity of Houston. Area, 883 square miles. 

Population in 1870 ,.. 8,139 

Population in 1880 (one-third colored) 14,921 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $984,188 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,354,305 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 375,980 

The eastern and southern portions are moderately rolling, while the 
remainder is generally level, with sufficient inclination toward the streams 
to afford drainage. About one-seventh is gently undulating or level prairie, 
-easily tilled and fairly productive. The remainder, except where farms 
have been cleared, is covered with a dense forest; the post oak, red oak, 
turkey oak, hickory, and blackjack being the leading varieties of timber on 
the uplands, while on the water-courses and in the bottoms are post, pin, burr, 
and overcup oaks, pecan, walnut, mulberry, maple, linn, locust, hackberry, 



TEXAS EY COUNTIES. — FREESTONE COUNTY. 107 

elm and cotton wood. The Trinity river is a broad, bold, deep stream r 
which, prior to the building of railroads, was navigated by steamboats from 
three to six months in the year. Its tributaries, Tehuacana, Richland r 
Grindstone, Upper Keechi, Mustang, Bonner, and many other smaller 
creeks traverse the county, and with wells, which are easily obtained at 
from 15 to 50 feet, and springs and cisterns, afford an abundant and con- 
venient water supply. In the northeast and east parts of the county, on the 
river, the soil is mostly alluvial of various shades, black waxy, and "buck- 
shot," and a deep, dark loam. The soils on the uplands (which constitute 
three-fifths of the county) are a gray sandy and chocolate, or mulatto, each 
on a clay foundation. About four-fifths of the entire county is suitable for 
cultivation, and the usual yield, in the river and creek bottoms, per acre is, of 
cotton, one-half to three-fourths of a bale, and from 35 to 45 bushels of 
corn, and on the uplands one-third to two-thirds of a bale of cotton, and 20 
to 30 bushels of corn. In protracted wet seasons the upland surpasses the 
bottoms in yield, and rarely fails to bring good crops. The mean annual 
rainfall is 40 inches, and the county has failed to produce a fair crop but 
once in sixteen years. Wheat yields per acre from 10 to 15 bushels; oats,. 
30 to 50; barley, 30 to 50; molasses, 300 to 400 gallons; sorghum syrup, 
100 to 150 gallons; potatoes, Irish, 100 bushels; sweet, 150 to 250; hay 
and millet, 1£ to 2 tons; and all kinds of vegetables yield abundantly. 
Peaches, pears, plums, and early varieties of apples are generally free from 
blight or other disease, and bear a sure crop of fruit. There are in the 
county a number of large orchards. 

Wild lands, suitable for farms, are worth from $1 to $3 per acre,' and im- 
proved tracts at figures increased in proportion to the value of the improve- 
ments. Land rents for $3 cash, or for one-fourth the cotton and one-third- 
of other crops. 

Stockraising is not carried on as an exclusive business, but is always- 
combined with agriculture, most farmers raising only about enough for 
home use, the excess of cattle, if any, being generally sold at one and two- 
years old. In severe winter weather stock is usually fed some, but much 
of it is raised exclusively on the range, on which the sedge grass is most, 
abundant. But in many places the succulent and incomparable crab grass- 
is springing up, and the Bermuda is being set on the light sandy soils with 
satisfactory success. 

The live stock of the county (assessment of 1882) comprises 21,879 cat- 
tle, 5968 horses and mules, 3096 sheep, and 17,039 hogs. The latter are 
raised, and in most seasons fattened for pork, on the mast of the oak, hick- 
ory, and pecan. Work horses are worth from $40 to $60 ; mules, $60 to $90 • 
oxen, $45 to $50 a yoke. Beef retails at 5 cents; pork, 6; bacon, 12; com, 
from 50 to 75 cents per bushel, and in some seasons at 20 to 25 cents. 

There are two saw mills, one flouring mill, a number of corn mills and 
cotton gins, all driven by steam. Pine lumber is worth from $27.50 to 
$30, and that from indigenous trees, about $10 per thousand. 



108 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

The Houston and Texas Central Railway runs through the northwest 
corner of the county, and the International and Great Northern Rail- 
way touches the extreme eastern corner. Fairfield, the county seat, 
has about 600 inhabitants, is the social and trade centre of a thriving 
community, and is noted for the intelligence and hospitality of its citi- 
zens. The Fairfield Methodist College, under the control of the North- 
west Texas Conference, located there, is of high grade, and well sustained. 
Most of the leading religious denominations have church organizations, and 
conveniences for religious worship are good in every neighborhood. The 
attendance on the 84 public free schools is about 70 per cent of a scholastic 
population of 2510. There are also private schools in many parts of the 
county, one at the village of Cotton Gin being a chartered institution. The 
county tax is sixty cents on the one hundred dollars, and there is a surplus 
in the county treasury. The county has been long organized, and the pop- 
ulation, derived, for the most part, from the best classes of the older South- 
ern States, is conservative and law-abiding. Except on the Trinity and the 
larger streams, where chills and fever sometimes prevail, the health of the 
county is very good. 



FRIO COUNTY 



Lies 130 miles northwest of the gulf port of Corpus Christi, and Pearsall, 
near the center of the county, and the principal railway station, is 53 miles 
southwest of the city of San Antonio, by the International and Great North- 
•ern Railway. Area, 1080 square miles. 

Population in 1870 309 

Population in 1880 (three per cent colored and one-third foreign) 2,113 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $637,223 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,095,528 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 428,362 

The county presents a varied surface, alternating between high, rugged 
hills, gently rolling and level prairie, and timbered lands; the rough, 
broken country constituting, however, but a small portion of its area. 
About one-half is covered with timber, which consists of mesquite, live 
oak, post oak, elm, hackberry, pecan, unodegato or cat's-claw, cypress, 
and black jack, the quality of which is above the average of that generally 
found in Western Texas. The principal water courses are the Frio and 
Leona rivers, and Hondo, Seco, Black, San Miguel, Casper Flores, Todas 
■ Santos, Palo Blanco, Arroyo Cibolo, and Live Oak creeks, which furnish a 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — FRIO COUNTY. 



109 



convenient water supply in ail portions of the county. Drinking water is 
obtained from wells, at a moderate depth, and is of pure and wholesome 
quality. Cisterns are also in use. The mean annual rainfall, as registered 
at the United States signal office at Castro ville, 20 miles from the north 
boundary line of the county, is 22.45 inches, and is distributed, as a rule, 
with sufficient regularity to keep the native grasses growing, and to enable 
the farmer, with deep plowing and early planting, to raise moderately fair 
field crops. 

Although stockraising is now the chief industry of the county, two- 
thirds of its area is arable, and agriculture is beginning to attract a fair 
share of attention. The prevailing soil is a light loam, readily reduced to 
cultivation, easily tilled, and, in favorable seasons, yields, per acre, of 
cotton, 600 pounds in the seed; corn, 20 to 25 bushels; and sweet potatoes, 
60 to 75 bushels. Garden vegetables of all ordinary kinds do well, the 
loose, friable soil being favorable to their growth, as also for peaches and 
plums, the only cultivated fruits thus far generally grown. 

Wild lands are worth from 25 cents to $5 per acre, according to location 
and quality, the cheaper class comprising the lands which are too rough for 
cultivation, and are suitable only for pasturage. For improved lands, it 
can tardly be said that there is yet a quotable price, there being altogether 
but seventeen hundred acres under cultivation in the county. In a few 
instances tracts of 160 acres, with ordinary houses thereon, and twenty or 
thirty acres in cultivation, have brought about $600. Farm laborers, as 
well as shepherds and herdsmen, are paid $15 per month. 

The principal native grass is the mesquite, which covers three-fourths of 
the county, and is of superior quality, its distinguishing characteristic 
being that it is not destroyed by frost, as is the sedge, but retains its 
nutritive properties during the severest winters. There are in the county, 
as assessed in 1882, 32,759- cattle, 2973 horses and mules, 21,678 sheep, 
47SS goats, and 1539 hogs. Live stock keep in good condition the year 
round on the range, and require no winter feed. 

The International and Great Northern Railway passes centrally through 
the county, and has three stations, Pearsall, a thriving village, Moore, and 
Bennett. Friotown, situated on the Frio river, is the county seat, and has 
a population of 300 souls. 

For a scholastic population of 407, there are thirteen public free schools, 
with an attendance of 318 pupils; and also three good private schools. Of 
the religious denominations, the Episcopal, Methodist, and Baptist are most 
numerous, and there is a church building in every neighborhood. 

The general character of the people for law and order is good, and life 
and property are as secure as in many older communities. 

The general health is excellent. The climate, like that of the entire 
region lying between the Colorado and the Rio Grande, is salubrious and 
free from malaria. The minimum temperature, during the winter of 



110 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

1881-2, was 25 deg., and the maximum summer temperature of 1882, 
104 deg. 



GALVESTON COUNTY 

Lies on the Gulf of Mexico, in north latitude 29 deg. 40 min., and longi- 
tude 95 deg. west of Greenwich. Area, 673 square miles. 

Population in 1860 8,229 

Population in 1870 15,290 

Population in 1880 24,121 

Estimated population in 1882 30,000 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $17,741,550 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 18,661,249 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 134,292 

The county has an area of about 320 square miles on the mainland, and 
also embraces within its limits the island of Galveston and Bolivar penin- 
sula, each about 27 miles lone, the former with an average breadth of two 
and a half miles, and the latter of three miles, Galveston bay, East bay, 
and "West bay. Its land surface is an alluvial plain, rising by easy 
gradients from the several water lines, and traversed by long and gentle 
swells and depressions, like those of its water surface when subsiding after 
a heavy blow. Galveston Island, lying northeast and southwest, parallel 
with the main land, is separated from it for about eighteen miles of its 
length by West bay, a sheet of water two miles in width, which, in several 
places, is fordable by horses and deer, and hardly anywhere exceeding six 
feet in depth. Between the east end of the island and Bolivar peninsula is 
a narrow passage, about two miles in width at mean low tide, which con- 
stitutes the inlet from the gulf to the tidal basin formed by the three bays 
named and Trinity bay. The area of the four bays is 451 square miles, 
but the harbor proper is confined to Galveston and Bolivar channels, which 
together constitute an area, according to surveys made by the United 
States Engineer Department, of three and a half square miles, with a mini- 
mum depth of 18 feet, and a maximum depth of 57 feet. Allowing 500 
feet square of sea-room to each vessel, the harbor proper would furnish 
secure anchorage for 380 deep-draft vessels. The present available wharf 
frontage on Galveston channel, which runs northeast and southwest along 
the island, is about 6400 feet in length, and according to estimates made 
by Captain H. C. Ripley, Assistant United States Engineer, long and hon- 
orably associated with the work of harbor improvements on the Texas coast, 
this frontage could be increased to 15,000 feet at a moderate expense. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — GALVESTON COUNTY. Ill 

The entrance to the harbor was originally obstructed both by an inner 
bar and an outer or sea bar, the natural channel over the former having 
been 11 feet, and over the latter 12 feet in depth. The work of deepening 
the channel, which was begun by the United States Government in 1874, 
has been prosecuted with such success that 20 feet of water has been ob. 
tained over the inner bar, and vessels drawing 14 feet 6 inches now find 
easy access over the outer bar to the harbor. In the opinion of Major S. 
M. Mansfield, the distinguished United States engineer in charge of the 
improvement of rivers and harbors on the coast of Texas, the problem of 
deep water over these bars, by the jetty system, has been virtually solved 
by the practical results so far obt: ined, and 20 feet of water from gulf to 
harbor may be considered as assured, and a depth of 25 feet is not 
beyond the bounds of reasonable expectation. 

On the east end of the island, with an available wharf frontage of three 
miles on the harbor proper, is situated the city of Galveston, the chief port 
and commercial city of the State. The site was originally a treeless plain, 
but is now crowned with perpetual verdure. Many of its broad streets 
are marked by a luxuriant growth of the evergreen and bright-bloomed 
oleander, which here attains the proportions of a tree, and numbers of its 
private residences are embowered in groves of the orange, the lemon, the 
fig, the oleander, and in some instances of the stately live oak, and other 
indigenous trees. The gardens everywhere are especially conspicuous for 
the variety and splendor of the roses, some of which, in this equable insular 
climate, bloom in the open air the year round. From its eastern to its 
western limits, a distance of four miles, the city extends across the island 
from bay to gulf, and presents to the view many costly and tasteful resi- 
dences, substantial blocks of business houses, and imposing churches and 
other public buildings. On the gulf side, the wide, smooth beach forms a 
firm and beautiful drive for the entire length of the island, and the surf- 
bathing is not surpassed, if equaled, by that of any point on the gulf or 
Atlantic coast. The gulf deepens from the water-line at the rate of 
about one fathom to the mile for the first five miles; thence, deepening more 
gradually, the ten fathom contour is not reached under twenty miles, and 
the twelve-and-a-half fathom contour under forty miles from the coast. 
Owing to this conformation of the gulf bottom, the waves, when driven in 
by high winds, are broken, or rather worn down, by the friction of the 
long inclined plane, and in great measure spend their force before reaching 
the shore. 

The increase of the city in population during the past two decades, the 
first embracing four years of war and blockade of the port, will serve to 
show in equal measure its commercial growth and its attractions as a place 
of residence. 



112 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Population of the city in 1860 6,537 

Population of the city in 1870 13,898 

Population of the city in June, 1880 22,248 

Population of the city December 31, 18S1 (Galveston News census) 27,420 

The latter enumeration, the whole made in one day, under the direction 
and at the expense of A. H. Belo & Co., proprietors of the Galveston News, 
is believed to have been accurate and thorough. 

Assessed value of taxable property in the city in 1881 $17,743,066 

The growth of the cotton trade of the city for the past two decades is 
exhibited by the following comparative statement: 

Cotton receipts for the year ending August 31, 1860 (bales) 193,666 

Cotton receipts for the year ending August 31, 1871 (bales) 294,718 

Cotton receipts for the year ending August 31, 1881 (bales) 694,661 

Showing an increase in the first period of eleven years (the four years of 
war, and paralysis of production and trade intervening) of over 52 per 
cent, and in the last decade of 235 per cent. 

The entire cotton production of the State in 1860 was 322,777 bales, of 
which, it will be seen, Galveston received a fraction over 60 per cent. In 
1881, the production of the State was 1,260,247 bales, of wlich Galveston 
received a fraction over 55 per cent. 

The cotton receipts of the port for the year ending August 31, 1882, are 
purposely omitted from the above comparative statement, for the reason 
that it was an exceptional year; the cotton crop, cut short by unprecedented 
drouth in all the other cotton producing States, was correspondingly 
short in Texas, and hence the receipts of that year would be no fair indica- 
tion of the regular trade of the port. The entire Texas crop of the year 
amounted to 878,854 bales, showing a falling off of nearly one-third, and 
the receipts of Glaveston were 442,860 bales. 

The receipts of import duties at the United States custom house at Gal- 
veston, for the past five years, were as follows: 

Year ending June 30, 1878 $62,357 

Year ending June 30, 1879 68,991 

Year ending June 30, 1S80 336,032 

Year ending June 30, 1881 1,551,333 

Year ending June 30, 1882 1,378,376 

Increase of 1880 over 1879, 4S7 per cent; of 1881 over 1880, 460 per 
cent; of 1882 over 1879, 2000 per cent. 



TEXAS EY COUNTIES. — GALVESTON COUNTY. 113 

Total value 



Total value of imports direct from foreign countries received at 

Galveston, for fiscal year ending June 30, 1882 $2,911,388 



STATEMENT OF EXPORTS TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 

For fiscal year ended June 30, 1880 $16,743,889 

For fiscal year ended June 30, 1881 26,767,097 

Increase of 1881 over 1880, within a fraction of 60 per cent. 

STATEMENT OF NAVIGATION FOR YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 1882. 

No. vessels. Tons. 

Coasting trade, entered 480 507,669 

Coasting trade, cleared 429 443,361 

Foreign trade, entered 218 144,715 

Foreign trade, cleared 185 115,579 

ESTIMATE OF MERCHANDISE SALES. 

For calendar year ended December 31, 1879 $22,913,800 

For calendar year ended December 31, 1880 31,307,689 

For calendar year ended December 31, 1881 37,755,000 

For calendar year ended December 31, 1882 42,845,000 

Estimated sales of exchange by the banks for 1881 40,000,000 

Estimated sales of exchange by the banks for 1882 45,000,000 

The city is connected with the railway system of the State, embracing 
5935 miles of road, by the Galveston, Houston and Henderson, and the 
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railways, which cross to the main land on 
trestle bridges, two miles in length, over West bay. A third road, the 
Texas-Mexican, is under construction, and is projected to run southwest- 
wardly, passing over to the main land at Carankawae reef, a practicable, 
narrow shallow crossing, and thence to connect with a portion of the same 
line already completed from Corpus Christi, on the gulf, to Laredo, on the 
Rio Grande. By the two first named roads, connecting with the Galveston, 
Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway, the city has railway communication 
with Mexico at Eagle Pass, and .also at El Paso; thence by the Southern 
Pacific with San Francisco, and by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, with 
New Mexico and Kansas; and connecting with the Houston and Texas Cen- 
tral and the International and Great Northern Railways with the great 
northern and northwestern sections of the United States. 

The relations of the port to the trade of the Pacific coast are shown by 
the following: 



114 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

TABLE OF DISTANCES FROM SAN FRANCISCO AND SAN DIEGO TO GALVESTON. 

Miles. 

From San Francisco to Colton 540 

From Colton to Tucson, Arizona 458 

From Tucson to El Paso 308 

From El Paso to San Antonio 612 

From San Antonio to Galveston 245 



Total distance by rail from San Francisco to Galveston 2143 

Distance by shortest line from San Francisco to New York 3124 



Difference in favor of Galveston 981 

The educational interests of the city are represented by an admirable 
system of graded public free schools, making ample provision for a scholas- 
tic population of 3698 pupils. These schools, which are kept open for nine 
months of the year, are under the control of the city authorities, and are 
supported by a special city tax of twenty cents on the one hundred dollars, 
in addition to the apportionment of the State school fund. There are also 
several private schools of high grade, under the management of competent 
teachers. The medical branch of the State University, with a liberal 
endowment of public lands, has been located at Galveston, and it is believed 
will be put in operation at an early day. In the county, outside of the city, 
public free schools of primary grade are provided for a scholastic popula- 
tion of 531 children. 

The county has a bonded debt of $417,000, and levies a tax of sixty 
cents on the one hundred dollars; the city has a bonded debt of $1,212,100, 
and levies a tax of one dollar and fifty cents on the one hundred dollars. 

In its social, moral, and religious aspects, the city presents the happy con- 
ditions of an old and advanced civilization transplanted in a new and fruit- 
ful soil. The larger portion of the population has been drawn, for the most 
part, from the better elements of almost all the older States of the American 
Union, and with these are blended in one cosmopolitan community repre- 
sentatives, in considerable numbers, and largely of a good class, from nearly 
every European nationality. The result is seen in a public sentiment 
elevated and moral in tone, and characterized by an uncommon freedom 
from religious and political intolerance, and from sectional and national 
prejudices. 

The climate is in a very high degree mild and equable, and the local sur- 
roundings are eminently conducive to general health. The heat of summer, 
no less than the cold of winter, is so far modified by the large bodies of 
salt water on all sides, and by the unobstructed and almost incessant gulf 
breeze, that out-door exposure is incurred at all seasons without risk to 
health, and, indeed, without serious discomfort. The yellow fever has not 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. GILLESPIE COUNTY. 115 

gained a foothold in the city for the past fifteen years, and there is a large 
concurrence of the highest medical authority in the opinion that the disease 
i? due solely to importation from more southern latitudes, and that, under 
the energetic administration of wise sanitary and quarantine regulations, 
the city may be considered as reasonably safe from future incursions of the 
disease. 

In the county stockraising, market gardening, and small farming are the 
profitable pursuits of a small per centage of the population. The soil of the 
mainland portion is chiefly a black waxy or a black, friable lime earth, with 
a smaller proportion of dark alluvium near the bays and water-courses, and 
that of the island and peninsula a very free, productive light or dark loam, 
well adapted to vegetables and melons of all kinds, to many of the semi-trop- 
ical fruits, and also to Sea Island as well as short staple cotton. Oranges, 
lemons, and figs find here a congenial soil and climate, and grapes of sev- 
eral fine varieties are successfully grown. Owing to the scarcity of labor, 
which finds greater attractions in the seaport near at hand, field crops are 
raised to only a limited extent. A few practical farmers, however, have 
demonstrated, by more than twenty years experience, that 300 pounds of 
Sea Island cotton, or 500 pounds of short staple cotton, or 30 bushels of 
corn per acre, is not an unusual yield. The long staple cotton grown here 
is pronounced by experts to be equal in length, fineness, and strength of 
fibre to that grown on the Sea Islands of South Carolina. With proper 
drainage, for which, in many localities, facilities are not wanting, the black 
lime soil of the mainland, although not so well adapted to fruits and vege- 
tables as the mellow sandy lands, has been found to be equally as produc- 
tive of field crops. The mean annual rainfall is 51.83 inches, and the 
seasons are, for the most part, favorable for diversified farming and market 
gardening. Frost and ice are seen only for a few days at intervals in mid- 
winter, and snow is almost unknown. The rural portions of the county 
have never been visited by an epidemic, and are believed to be as free from 
disease of any kind as any part of the United States. 



GILLESPIE COUNTY. 

This county lies in Western Texas, Fredericksburg, the county seat, being 
distant about 70 miles west of north from the city of San Antonio. Area, 
980 square miles. 

Population in 1870 3,566 

Population in 1880 5,228 



116 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $691,911 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,115,485 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,282,795 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 3S5,800 

The face of the country is broken. The hills, which comprise a large part 
of its area, rising in some portions to the dignity of mountains, are carpeted 
with grasses, and generally clothed to their summits with vegetation, con- 
sisting of white oak, of small size, and dwarf oak of one or two varieties, 
all of which yield a plentiful mast. There are also bodies of level tim- 
bered upland, some prairie and bottom land, and many fertile valleys, 
partially timbered, and watered by clear streams. 

The Pedernales river, a tributary to the Colorado, flows through the 
county from west to east, a distance of about 40 miles, and the county is 
traversed by numerous streams, among them White Oak, Live Oak, Barron, 
Palo Alto, South Grape, Cave, Williams, Willow, North Grape, Crab 
Apple, Sandy, Cherry, Spring, Squaw, and Threadgill creeks, a number of 
which are clear, bold-running streams. Springs of freestone water are 
found everywhere, and wells are easily obtained in all parts of the county. 
The mean annual rainfall is about 28 inches, and is generally distributed 
throughout the year evenly enough to insure the growth of both summer 
and winter crops. The deep black lime soil of the prairies, the lighter 
reddish and gray soils of the post oak lands, and the rich, dark loam of the 
bottoms and valleys, are very productive. A large part, probably 75 per 
cent, of the population are Germans, and have long been distinguished as a 
prosperous farming community. Ordinarily, cotton yields from one-third 
to two-thirds of a bale per acre; corn, 20 to 25 bushels; wheat, 15; oats, 
40; rye, 20; barley, 30; sorghum syrup, 160 gallons; millet, two to thre? 
tons; and garden vegetables produce abundant crops, and are universally 
grown. Melons of the several varieties are cultivated on every farm, and 
yield plentifully. Peaches, apples, pears, plums, and grapes, are gi-own with 
success. Improved implements of husbandry are largely used. There is a 
well organized and active agricultural society, which has had a very bene- 
ficial influence on the farming interests. Wild land, suitable for farms, is 
worth from $1.50 to -$3 an acre, and improved tracts about $10 .-in acre. 
There are about 150,000 acres of State school lands in the county, which can 
be bought at a minimum price of from $1 to $2 an acre, payable in 20 
annual installments, with 8 per cent interest. Stone fencing costs about 
$450 a raiJe; wire fencing, about #375; and rail fencing about the same. 
Hedges are but little grown. Land is usually rented for one-third the grain 
and one-fourth the cotton. The long and curly mesquite is the prevailing 
variety of grass, and affords rich pasturage. The latest assessment (1882) 
shows in the county 28,674 cattle, o381 horses and mules, 39,641 sheep, 
835 goats, and 6130 hogs. Work stock are fed at all seasons, but range 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. GILLESPIE 'COUNTY. 117 

stock require no winter feed. Sheep yield about 4^- pounds of wool a year, 
and are subject to no disease. The raising of A ngora goats is a new 
industry, and has so far proved highly successful. Work horses can 
be bought for from $25 to $50; mules, from $35 to $75; oxen, from $30 to 
$50 a yoke. In the local market, at retail, beef commands 4 to 5 cents; mut- 
ton, 6 to 8; pork, 6 to 7; bacon. 10 to 15; corn, 75 cents to $*1 a bushel; flour, 
$4 to #5 per 100 pounds. Domestic fowls are raised by every family, and 
deer, turkey, geese and ducks, are abundant, as are also trout, perch, cat, 
and other varieties of fish. The area of open range is yearly being reduced, 
as farms increase, and stockraising, in connection with agriculture, rather 
than as a separate business, is becoming general. Much attention is being 
paid to improved breeds of stock of all kinds. The county is not as yet 
touched by any railroad, but three lines have been surveyed through it 
within the last twelve months, and the early construction of at least one of 
them is believed to be assured. Fredericksburg, the county seat, with a 
population of 1250, and Willow City, with about 250, are the principal 
towns. There are in the county five steam flouring mills, two saw mills, 
nine cotton gins, and several wagon and farm implement factories. One 
mill, driven by water power, on the Pedernales river, has been run for 
more than 25 years, and sufficient water power on that stream can be 
cheaply obtained to run many mills of large capacity. Deposits of silver, 
copper, and lead exist, but the extent and value of them have not been 
determined by systematic mining, though one mine has lately been opened 
with good prospects. 

There are at Fredericksburg a Roman Catholic school, taught by the Sis- 
ters of Providence, and a Methodist college of high grade, in both of which 
children within the scholastic age receive the benefit of the free school fund. 
There are in addition to these, 26 public free schools in the county, for a 
scholastic population of 805, and they are taught four months in the year. 
The Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Baptist denominations have 
church organizations and houses of worship, and in every neighborhood 
church conveniences are good. Some of the church edifices are large, 
handsome, and costly. The county tax is twenty-five cents on the one 
hundred dollars, and there is a surplus in the treasury of near $5000. The 
population are characterized by the proverbial conservatism of the German 
race, and the records of the courts show that the county is singularly free 
from crime in any form. 

The general altitude is about 1700 feet above the sea level, and the climate 
is verj nealthtul. Mean summer temperature about 75 deg\, winter, 50 deg. 



118 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OP 



GOLIAD COUNTY 

Lies in the southwestern part of the State, and Goliad, the county seat, is 
about 60 miles north of the port of Corpus Christi. Area, 823 square 
miles. 

Population in 1870 3,628 

Population in 1880 (1666 colored) 5,832 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $786,786 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,068,426 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 714,342 

Nearly one-half of the surface of the county is rolling prairie, through 
which flow the San Antonio river, about 85 feet in width, the Manahuila, 
Perdido, Hord's, Turkey, and Rock creeks, and numerous smaller streams; 
whilst Blanco and Colito creeks form, i-espectively, the northeast and south- 
west boundaries. All these water-courses are broadly marked by a heavy 
growth of timber, consisting chiefly of pecan, white oak, burr oak, post oak, 
live oak, blackjack, mesquite, elm, and cotton wood. Good drinking water is 
easily obtained from wells at a moderate depth, but cisterns are in general 
use. 

The leading industry of the county is stockraising, and a large portion 
of the land is enclosed by barbed wire fences, the pastures varying in size 
from 500 to 40,000 acres. According to the assessment rolls of 1882, there 
are in the county 58,054 cattle, 7162 horses and mules, 12,012 sheep, and 
3205 hogs. All kinds of stock keep in good condition all the year round 
on the pasturage, horses for work and the saddle being fed in winter, as a 
rule, only while in use. Work horses are worth $40 to $60; mules, $60 to 
$100; oxen, $40 to $60 per yoke. In the home market, at retail, beef 
sells for 5 to 6 cents per pound; mutton,- 10; pork, 8; bacon, 12£; corn, 
75 cents to $1 per bushel; and flour, $8 to $10 per barrel. 

There are farms of considerable size, and agriculture, in connection with 
stockraising, is on the increase. The soils on the uplands are a black, friable 
lime, and a light sandy land mixed with shell, or chocolate, both of which 
are fairly productive, and, taking a series of years, is considered equal to 
the bottoms for farming. The land in the valleys and river bottoms is a 
black stiff and a dark sandy soil, from five to ten feet deep, and of great 
fertility. The ordinary yield, under careful tillage is, of cotton, one-third 
to one-half bale; corn, 25 to 30 bushels; oats, 30 to 60; potatoes, Irish, 75; 
and sweet, 200; prairie hay, 1 to 3 tons. Nearly all garden vegetables 
grow and yield well. Peaches, plums, figs, and all fruits of the latitude 
are raised with success. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. GONZALES COUNTY. 119 

The mean annual rainfall is about 35 inches, and ordinarily so distributed 
as to render all crops reasonably sure, though those maturing in late summer 
are sometimes injured by drouth. Improved farming implements are used 
to a considerable extent, and the county is well suited to their profitable em- 
ployment. Unimproved land of good quality can be bought at from $1.50 
to $5 per acre, and improved farms for about the same rates, with some- 
thing more than the cost of improvements added. Cultivated land rents at 
$3 an acre, or for one-third the grain and one-fourth the cotton. Game is 
not abundant with the exception of quail. There are some deer and wild 
turkeys, and the rivers and other streams are well supplied with catfish, 
buffalo, perch and trout. 

The San Antonio river affords water power of large capacity, that is capa- 
ble of being utilized to great advantage with but little expense. 

Goliad is the only town of any importance in the county, and is a place 
of much historic interest, having been the scene of a massacre of a garrison 
of Texan soldiers by the Mexican army, in 1836, after the former had 
yielded to greatly superior numbers, and surrendered. It occupies an 
elevated plateau on the north bank of the San Antonio river, is densely 
shaded by live oaks, has a population of 2000, and a large local trade. The 
New York, Texas and Mexican Railway, connected with the railroad system 
of the State at Rosenberg Junction, has reached Victoria, 28 miles distant, 
and its extension through the county is only a question of a few months. 

The scholastic population numbers 883, and there is an average attend- 
ance on the public free schools of about 70 per cent. At Goliad there is a 
male and female college of high grade, with an able faculty, and a large 
number of students. The Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, Epis- 
copal, and Roman Catholic denominations all have organized churches in the 
county, and attendance on church services is very general. The proximity 
of the county to the gulf shore, its freedom from swamps and marshes, and 
the constant gulf breeze, combine to render it healthy at all seasons. 



GONZALES COUNTY 

Lies in 29 deg. 30 min. north latitude, and in longitude 97 deg. 30 min. 
vrest from Greenwich. The town of Gonzales, the county seat, is 161 miles 
routh of west of the city of Houston, by the line of the Galveston, Harrisburg 
and San Antonio Railway, with which it is connected by a branch road 12 
miles in length. Area, 1079 square miles. 

Population in 1870 8,951 

Population in 1880 (about one-third colored) 14,840 



120 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,734,256 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 3,016,964 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S Q ° 3,545,818 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 786,926 

The general surface is gently undulating prairie, the timber, to the extent 
of about three-fifths of the area, being confined mainly to the borders of the 
streams. The growth consists principally of live oak, post oak, burr oak, 
blackjack, pecan, walnut, hickory, elm, and mesquite, and is for the most 
part of small size. The supply for fuel and fencing is ample, and for lum- 
ber moderately sufficient. There are several steam saw mills in the county. 

The Guadalupe and San Marcos rivers, both bold and perpetual streams, 
unite near the centre of the county, and with their tributaries, Cottonwood, 
Longbottom, Peach, Plum, Buckhorn, and other smaller streams, furnish 
unfailing water in almost all portions. Drinking water of good quality is 
obtained from wells, at a moderate depth, but cisterns are generally used. 
In the Guadalupe and San Marcos there is water power which could be 
cheaply utilized and would afford ample motive power for the heaviest ma- 
chinery. At present it is used only in a small way, but sufficiently to 
manifest its value and extent. 

In the river bottoms, which are generally narrow, the soil is a light, sandy 
alluvial; on the praries, a black hog wallow, or black mesquite land; and -in 
the timbered uplands, a gray, sandy earth, on a clay foundation. Of these 
the prairie soils are very fertile, and the uplands free, fairly productive, and 
easy of cultivation. The yield, per acre, under ordinarily favorable con- 
ditions, is, of cotton, one-third to two-thirds of a bale; corn, 25 to 35 bush- 
els; wheat, 10 to 15; oats, 40 to 80; sweet potatoes, 150 to 200; millet, one 
to two tons; and all vegetables common to the latitude in like proportion. 
Peaches, pears, and apples of the early kinds, do well — peaches especially so. 
The pecan nuts are a sure and large crop, and have a high market value. 
The mean annual rainfall is 38 inches, and seasons are generally sufficiently 
regular to make all crops reasonably sure. Severe drouths are the excep- 
tion, and not the rule. Unimproved farming lands can be bought at from 
$1 to $3 per acre, and improved farms from to $3 to $10, according to loca- 
tion, quality of soil, and value of improvements. Ordinary fencing costs 
from $150 to $200 per mile. There are but few hedges grown, although 
both the rose and bois d'arc have been tried and found to do well. Good 
pine lumber is worth from $22 to $30 per thousand feet. Laborers are 
paid from $10 to $15 per month and board, and good cultivated lands rent 
for from $2 to $4 per acre, or for one-third the grain and one-fourth the 
cotton; or where the landlord furnishes everything, except family supplies, 
for one-half of the crop. Improved agricultural implements can be advan- 
tageously employed, and are used to some extent, but not generally, though 
their use is increasing each year. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — GONZALES COUNTY. 121 

The stock interests of the county are important, the latest assessment 
rolls (1882) showing the number of cattle, 44,910; horses and mules, 
13,110; sheep, 28,269; goats, 202; hogs, 17,014. Stock are raised almost 
exclusively on the native grasses — many in large pastures, but generally on 
the open range. Owners of small stocks feed them occasionally in severe 
winter weather, but ordinarily they keep in good condition in pastures or 
on the open range the year round. Work horses are worth from $35 to $60; 
mules, 140 to $100; oxen, $40 to $60 a yoke. Beef retails at from 5 to 8 
cents per pound; pork. 4 to 6; bacon, 10 to 16; corn, 50 cents to $1 per 
bushel; and flour $4 to $5 per hundred pounds. 

Game is not abundant, but there are some deer and turkey, and in winter 
geese and ducks are numerous. In the rivers and large creeks are several 
kinds of fish, principally cat, perch, and buffalo. 

The Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway runs through the 
north part of the county, a distance of 24 miles from east to west, with a 
branch of 12 miles south. 

The chief towns are Gonzales, population, 1800; Wrelder, population, 
300; and Harwood, population, 200; the two latter are stations on the main 
line of the road named; and besides these, are the villages of Rancho, Lees- 
ville, Belmont, and Wrightsboro, with from 100 to 150 inhabitants each. 

Coal and iron ore, and surface indications of lead and silver ore, have been 
found, and kaolin clay of good quality abounds. No well directed efforts to 
develop the mineral deposits have, however, been made. 

There are several steam flouring mills in the county; also, wagon, carriage, 
and farming implement shops on a limited scale. 

The scholastic population numbers 2522, for which there are organized 90 
public free schools, and there are also several private schools of high grade 
in the county. The Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist, and Roman 
Catholic denominations all have houses of worship, and church conveniences 
are good in nearly every neighborhood. 

The county has no debt, the tax is 18 cents on the $100, and on January 
1, 1882, the cash balance in the county treasury was $7,608.54. 

The laws are well enforced and generally observed, and public sentiment 
is in favor of peace and order. 

The general standard of health is very high, and with the exception of 
light bilious attacks in summer, in some portions of the county, sickness is 
rare. No epidemic has ever prevailed in the county. 



122 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



GRAYSON COUNTY 

Lies on Red River, in west longitude 96 deg. 40 min.. and Sherman, the 
county seat, is 329 miles west of north from the city of Houston, by the line 
of the Houston and Texas Central Railway. The county was organized in 
1846, and named in honor of Peter W. Grayson, the second attorney- 
general of the Republic of Texas, and the county seat in honor of Sidney 
Sherman, who commanded the second regiment at the battle of San Jacinto. 
Area, 968 square miles. 

Population in 1870 14,387 

Population in 1880 (12 per cent colored) 38, 108 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 2,120,860 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 7,643,365 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 8,111,428 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 790.058 

About two-thirds of the area is undulating prairie, with here and there 
hills of moderate elevation, subsiding into narrow valleys, through which 
flow small streams, their courses marked by a scattered growth of timber. 
Running nearly north and south through the western half of the county is a 
belt of wooded upland, consisting chiefly of post oak, black jack, and hickory, 
and known as the lower cross-timbers. The wide bottoms of Red River are 
covered by a heavy forest growth of black walnut, hickory, pecan, ash, burr 
oak, spotted oak, elm, bois d'arc, and hackberry, the area of the timbered 
land comprising about one-third of the county. The bois d'arc and pecan 
especially are in good supply, the former being highly prized for all pur- 
poses requiring hardness and durability, and the latter for its abundant and 
valuable crop of nuts. Choctaw, Big and Little Mineral, Shawnee, Beaver, 
Post Oak, Buck, and Spring creeks, and many smaller streams, traverse various 
parts of the county. Many of the streams named cease to run during a 
portion of the year, but nearly all of them hold water in pools in their beds 
in the dry est seasons, and, together with tanks, or artificial ponds, furnish 
stock water in ample supply. There are some springs of pure water, and 
wells are obtained at a moderate depth at almost any desired point, the 
water in the timbered uplands being usually pure freestone, and in the black 
prairie land more or less impregnated with lime. For drinking water 
cisterns are in general use. 

It is estimated that nine-tenths of the county is good farming land, and of 
this about one-half is under fence, and one-third in cultivation in farms 
averaging eighty acres each. Many of the highways present a continuous 
succession of farms or enclosed pastures on either hand, with farm houses 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — GRAYSON COUNTY. 123 

at short intervals, indicating the large agricultural population, which places 
the county, in point of number, first in rank in the State. 

The soils of the prairies are divided about equally between black waxy 
and dark sandy land, both well adapted to cotton and wheat; the timbered 
upland is generally a gray, sandy soil on a clay foundation, and is fairly 
productive; and the Red River bottoms a deep, red alluvium, not unfre- 
quently yielding a bale and more of cotton per acre, and 50 to 60 bushels of 
corn. Both the soil and climate are propitious for diversified farming, and 
especially for fruits and vegetables. Peaches, apples, pears, plums, grapes, 
and strawberries are raised in abundance, and of good quality. The mean 
annual rainfall for the past eight years was 39.94 inches, and a serious 
disaster to crops from drouth has not occurred in twice that period. Im- 
proved agricultural implements are in general use, and the average produc- 
tion of the county one year with another is fully up to the best standard of 
any part of the State. Much of the wheat raised exceeds the standard 
weight, and is ready for market some weeks in advance of that of any part 
of the Western States. From actual and repeated trial, it would seem to 
be established that the wheat grown in North Texas possesses, in a supe- 
rior degree, the qualities necessary to secure it against damage from long 
sea transportation. 

Unimproved land is worth from $5 to $10 an acre, and improved farms 
from $10 to $25, according to location, the proportion of cultivated land, 
and the character of the improvements. Cultivated land rents generally for 
from $3 to $4 an acre, or for one-fourth of the cotton and one-third of 
other crops. Lumber is worth from $15 to $20 per thousand feet. Bois 
d'arc hedges are used to a limited extent, and have generally proved suc- 
cessful wherever proper care has been bestowed upon them. 

Farms are being rapidly multiplied, the area of open pasture lands 
being correspondingly reduced, and stockraising is almost exclusively 
carried on in connection with agriculture. The open range is not sufficient 
to carry stock in good condition through the winter, and for about three 
months they require more or less attention and feeding. Improved breeds 
of all kinds have been extensively and successfully introduced. The assess- 
ment rolls of 1882 credit the county with 14,346 horses and mules, 38,206 
cattle, 5502 sheep, and 17,713 hogs. The wooded uplands and river bot- 
toms afford fine range for hogs, and they are easily and cheaply raised. 
Work horses are worth from $40 to $90; mules, $75 to $150; and oxen, 
$40 to $60 per yoke. In the local markets, beef retails at from 6 to 8 cents 
per pound; mutton, 6 to 10; bacon, 10 to 15; corn, 50 cents per bushel; and 
flour, from $3 to $4 per hundred pounds. Improved breeds of domestic 
fowls receive much attention, and common breeds are raised in large num- 
bers in nearly every farmyard. Fish and small game are in moderately 
abundant supply. The German carp has been introduced, and the experi- 
ment so far promises entire success. 



124 KESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

There are eight flouring mills of large capacity, which find steady and 
profitable employment in preparing for home consumption and for market 
the golden harvests of the neighboring fields. There are also seven saw- 
mills, which turn out a fair article of lumber from the native timber. 

The Houston and Texas Central, the Missouri Pacific, the Denison and 
Pacific, the Denison and Southwestern, and the Transcontinental division 
of the Texas and Pacific Railways, pass through the county, and have in the 
aggregate more than one hundred miles of track and some thirteen stations 
within its limits. Sherman, with a population of about 8000 souls, has many 
well built blocks of substantial business houses, a court house constructed 
of stone at a cost of $30,000, an elegant opera house, a number of spacious 
churches, a street railway line, and gas works, in operation, and many hand- 
some private residences. Denison, a thriving, progressive city, of ten years' 
growth, and about 7000 inhabitants, is the centre of a large and growing 
trade, and is rapidly increasing in population and commercial importance. 
Whitesboro, in the western part of the county, is a town of about 1000 
inhabitants, and the point of intersection of the Denison and Pacific and the 
Transcontinental division of the Texas and Pacific, running to Denton and 
Fort Worth. There are in the county a number of other small but pros- 
perous villages, in the midst of populous communities, each with a good 
local trade. Denison, Sherman, and Whitesboro, have each a system of 
city free schools in successful operation, under the control of the municipal 
authorities. Outside of the limits of these towns there are 123 public free 
schools provided for a scholastic population of 4678 pupils within the scho- 
lastic age. In Sherman are located two colleges, one for males and one for 
females, both of which are under the management of a competent corps of 
teachers, and are well sustained. Nearly every religious denomination is 
well represented, and has one or more churches in the county, and church 
conveniences are moderately good in every neighborhood. 

The county has no debt, and levies a tax of thirty cents on the $100. 
The city tax of Sherman is seventy-five cents on the $100. 

The population being drawn from all parts of the United States, is 
cosmopolitan in character, and is noted for general intelligence and the 
conservative spirit of law and ordei*. 

Few or no causes of malaria exist, and the general health of the county 
is very good. In some localities, especially in or near the bottoms of Red 
River, malarial attacks in the form of chills and fever, occasionally occur in 
summer and fall, but these rarely prevail to any considerable extent. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. GREGG COUNTY. 125 



GREGG COUNTY 

Is one of a group of counties in Northeastern Texas which are especially 
adapted to diversified farming. It lies between the parallels of 32 deg. 24 
min. and 32 deg. 45 mm. north latitude, and is separated from the east 
boundary of the State by Harrison county. The county was formed in 
1873 from a part of Upshur county. Area, 279 square miles. 

Population in 1880 (55 per cent colored) 8,530 

Population in 1882 (estimated) 10,530 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 $1, 183,479 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 99,366 

The surface is a succession of low hills and of valleys, more or less wide, and 
nearly the entire area is covered with dense forests, composed of the several 
kinds of oak, hickory, black walnut, gum, chinquapin, beech and pine. 
According to the United States Forestry Bulletin, there were standing in 
the county, in 1880, 598,400,000 feet of merchantable short-leaf pine 
(pinus mitis). The timber is, for the most part, large, and much of it is 
valuable for lumber and building. The principal water-courses are the 
Sabine river, which flows diagonally through the county, from northwest 
to southeast, with an average width of 100 feet, and Little Cypress, with an 
average width of 30 feet, both having many tributaries. Springs and wells 
of pure freestone water are easily obtained, and the water supply is ample. 
The mean annual rainfall is about 45 inches, and protracted drouths are 
rare. About one-sixth of the land is in cultivation, and the average size 
of farms is about 40 acres. The soil in the creek and river valleys is a dark, 
rich loam, and on the uplands a light sandy land with a day foundation. 
The yield of farm products, per acre, is, of cotton, one-third to one-half bale; 
corn, 25 to 30 bushels; molasses, from ribbon cane, 200 gallons; potatoes, 
Irish, 100 bushels, sweet, 200; and garden vegetables of all kinds yield in 
like proportion. The soil is specially adapted to fruits, and peaches, pears, 
plums, and grapes thrive and bear well. Wild land can be bought at from 
$1 to $5 per acre, and improved farms at a price increased in proportion to 
the extent of the improvements. Ordinary rail fencing costs from $90 to 
$100 a mile. Pine lumber is worth $10 per thousand feet. Cultivated 
lands rent at from $2 to $3 per acre, or for one-third the corn and one- 
fourth the cotton. Agriculture and the manufacture of lumber are the 
chief industries of the county, and stockraising, except on a small scale in 
connection with farming, is carried on to only a limited extent. The ordi- 
nary sedge grass is moderately abundant, but herds are small. Hogs are 
the most profitable animals, as tbiy are raised in the woods, require but 



126 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

little care, and in most seasons are fattened on the mast. Increased 
attention is being paid to raising improved stock. The place of the native 
grasses is being rapidly supplied by the Bermuda, which grows with great 
luxuriance, and quickly supplants every other kind. There are in the 
county, according to the assessment rolls of 1882, 4454 cattle, 1520 horses 
and mules, 344 sheep, and 4487 hogs. Work horses are worth from $60 to 
$80; mules, $75 to $100; oxen, $40 to $60 Beef retails at from 7 to 8 
cents per pound; mutton, 7 to 10; pork, 6 to 8; bacon, 124; to 15; corn, 50 
cents to $1 per bushel; and flour, $7.50 to $10 per barrel. Quails and 
squirrels are numerous, and there are some deer and turkeys. Fish of all 
the ordinary varieties are abundant in the streams. 

Longview, the county seat, has a population of about 2300, and is the 
point of junction of the Texas and Pacific, the International and Great 
Northern, and the Longview and Sabine Valley Railways. It is the centre 
of a fine agricultural country, and does a large trade. Kilgore and Glade- 
water are good local trading points, with respectively 300 and 150 inhabi- 
tants. There is a wagon factory and also a foundry, both of considerable 
capacity, in successful operation at Longview, and fifteen steam saw mills in 
the county, with an aggregate daily capacity of about 75,000 feet of lumber. 
There are valuable, but as yet only partially developed, deposits of salt in 
the county, the supply of which is believed to be sufficient for all local 
demands. Iron ore of superior quality also exists in the county, but no 
mining has been done. 

The scholastic population is 1378, and there are 15 public free schools, 
with an average attendance of about 65 to 70 per cent. There are also four 
private schools of high grade, which are well sustained. The Baptist, 
Presbyterian, Methodist, and Christian are the most numerous in mem- 
bership of the religious denominations, and ample church conveniences for 
both tt e white and colored population are found in all parts of the county. 
The population is peaceable and conservative, and life and property are 
protected by a vigorous enforcement of the laws. 

In and near the bottoms and lowlands, chills and fever sometimes prevail, 
but in most parts of the county the general health is fully up to the average 
of the State. The general elevation is high, the drainage good, and the 
pine forests are specially conducive of the purity of the atmosphere and 
consequent healthfulness. 



GRIMES COUNTY 

Lies between the parallels 30 deg. 20 min. and 30 deg. 50 min. north 
latitude, and Navasota, its principal town and railway station, is 71 miles, 
by the line of the Houston and Texas Central Railway, northwest of the 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. GRIMES COUNTY. 127 

city of Houston. The Navasota river, and the Brazos, into which it 
empties, form its western boundary. Area, 781 square miles. 

Population in 1870 13,218 

Population in 1880 (10,280 colored) 18,603 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S70 $2,242,929 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S82 2,391,058 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 339,581 

Three-fourths of the county is elevated table land, and the residue river 
and creek bottoms; about two-thirds of the whole being covered with timber, 
much of it of large growth, and embracing the several kinds of oak, except 
white and live, hickory, elm, ash, pecan, mulberry, pine, and cedar The 
special agent of the United States Forestry Bureau estimated the merchant- 
able loblolly pine (pinits tteda) standing in the county in 1880 at 211,000,000 
feet, board measure. These pineries keep in active operation ten saw mills, 
driven by steam, which, besides supplying the home demand, furnish a 
large amount of lumber for shipment. 

The rivers named, and Gibbon's, Bedias, Beason's, Caney, and Lake 
creeks, and many smaller streams, all never failing, distribute a convenient 
water supply to all parts of the county. Bold springs of pure freestone, as 
well as limestone, water are numerous, and wells of equally pure water are 
obtained at a moderate depth. There are also a number of mineral springs, 
chiefly white sulphur and red sulphur waters, which possess valuable 
medical properties. 

The soils of the uplands range from a light, thin, sandy land, to a dark, 
deep loam; from a black, friable lime soil, to stiff, tenacious hog-wallow, 
each having peculiar characteristics well known to agriculturists. The 
Brazos river bottoms are of a reddish-brown alluvial soil, of great depth, 
and very productive. The yield, per acre, under proper tillage, is, of 
cotton in the seed, on the uplands, 800 pounds; on the bottom lands, 1200; 
corn, from 25 to 30 bushels; oats, 40; Irish potatoes, 100; and sweet, 200; sor- 
ghum syrup, 100 gallons; millet, 3 tons; and hay, from native grasses, 
from 1000 to 1500 pounds. "Vegetables and melons of all kinds are pro- 
duced in great abundance. Teaches, plums, and figs do well, and are of 
excellent quality. Berries and nuts of the several kinds are a sure crop, 
especially pecan nuts, in the Navasota and Brazos bottoms. Ordinary 
rail fencing costs about $90 per mile. Hedges have been tried with 
success, particularly on the prairies and bottom lands, where the bois 
d'arc and pyracanthus do well. The mean annual rainfall is 42 inches, and 
is usually so distributed throughout the year as to insure uniformly good 
crops. Indeed, it is asserted by old settlers, that there has not been a fail- 
ure of crops in the county from drouth for over forty years. 



128 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Wild lands are held at from $1 to $5 per acre, and tracts with part 
in cultivation, and necessary buildings, at from $5 to $25. Crops are 
usually raised on shares, the owner of the land furnishing the laborers 
everything but family supplies, and receiving one-half of the products; or 
the lands are rented for one-fourth of the cotton and one-third of other 
crops. Farms hands are paid from $10 to $12 per month, with board. 

The native grasses, mesquite and sedge, are not abundant, but in some 
portions of the county afford very good pasturage. The Bermuda, of late 
years, has begun to supplant them, especially on the light sandy land, 
which it affects, and is found to make excellent summer grazing. 

The number of live stock in the county, according to the assessment 
of 1882, is, cattle, 21.350; horses and mules, 6250; sheep, 3820; goats, 
328; hogs, 9,598. The unfailing mast in the timbered uplands, as well as in 
the river bottoms, renders hog raising very profitable. Farm horses and 
mules are worth, each, about $75; oxen, per yoke, $50. Lumber can be 
had in any quantity for §13 per thousand feet, at the mills. 

The towns of the count)' are Anderson, the county seat, with about 400 
inhabitants; Navasota, 1600; Courtney, 200; Iola, 150; Plantersville, 100 
Prairie Plains, 50. The annual trade of Navasota, the chief commercial 
point, is estimated at about $1,500,000; its annual cotton shipment at 
20,000 bales, besides a large quantity of lumber, cotton seed oil, and hides. 
It has a cotton seed oil factory of considerable capacity, which is operated 
successfully. 

The Houston and Texas Central Railway runs through the southwestern 
portion of the county, a distance of 12 miles, and a branch of the Gulf, 
Colorado and Santa Fe extends from Navasota eastward across the county, 
the two roads having six stations. 

The scholastic population is 3353, and the average attendance at the 84 
public free schools is about 70 per cent. In Navasota the schools are 
taught ten months, and in the county four months in the year. In Nav- 
asota the free schools are sustained in large part by a special city tax, with 
some small aid from the Peabody fund, but in the county generally they 
are reported to be insufficient for the attainment of the best results. There 
is only one private school, which is located at Plantersville, and conducted 
with marked success. All the religious denominations are largely and 
pretty equally represented in membership, and also in church buildings 
which, both in town and county, bear a fair proportion to the numbei 
of inhabitants, and church services are generally well attended. Few 
communities have a better record for good order and observance of the laws. 

The county is free from debt, and the county ad valorem tax one-half of 
me per cent. 

The general health is good. In some seasons sporadic cases of chills and 
fever occur along the river and creek bottoms, and these yield readily to 
home treatment. The mean summer temperature is 80 deg., and the mean 
winter temperature 45 deg. 



TEXAS EY COUNTIES. GUADALUPE COUNTY. 120 



GUADALUPE COUNTY. 

Seguin, the county seat, is 209 miles, by the line of the Galveston, Ham- 
burg and San Antonio Railway, connecting with the Gulf, Colorado and 
Santa Fe, north of west of the port of Galveston. Area, 711 square miles. 

Population in 1870 7,282 

Population in 1880 (28 per cent colored) 12,202 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,768,111 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 2.810,381 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 3,025,044 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 458,202 

The county is about equally divided between timbered land and prairie, 
and is bounded on the northeast by the San Marcos river, and on the west 
by the Cibolo, while the Guadalupe flows centrally through it from north- 
west to southeast, each having many tributaries. The Cibolo is a running 
stream only for a part of the year, but the Guadalupe and San Marcos are 
bold, swift, and constant streams, the former about 180 feet wide, and the 
latter half that width. The general surface is undulating, and along the 
rivers named are broad valleys, overlooked in some places by high hills, and 
fringed by a heavy growth of pecan, black walnut, burr oak, sycamore, 
cottonwood, box elder, and mulberry. On the uplands are found, in consid- 
erable quantities, live oak, post oak, blackjack, and elm. In the southeast 
part is a range known as the Capote Hills, rising about two hundred feet- 
above the valley of the Guadalupe. In the valley, on both sides of the 
river, are farms in a high state of cultivation, comfortable farm houses, and 
enclosed pastures, on which graze large herds of cattle and horses, while a 
belt of forest trees marks the winding course of the river, as it flows toward 
the gulf. Similar, but not so extended, views are also presented by the 
valley of the San Marcos, a stream characterized by the crystal clearness of 
its water, and the beauty and fertility of the valley through which it flows. 

About one-half the entire area is good farming land, and presents a 
variety of soils, the land covered with post oak having usually a light, rich, 
sandy soil; the prairie uplands, on which is generally scattered a growth of 
the mesquite tree, a stiff, black lime soil; the river valleys, a deep alluvial; 
and along the outer edge of the valleys, and in other parts of the county, 
intermediate grades, possessing the qualities of twc or more of the above 
marked varieties. Under ordinarily favorable conditions, the production, 
per acre, is, of cotton, one third to one-half a bale; corn, 25 to 35 bushels; 
wheat, 8 to 15; oats, 40; sweet potatoes, 200; sorghum syrup, 100 gallons; 
prairie hay, 2 tons. All vegetables common to the latitude are raised in abun- 
9 



130 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

dance. Peaches, plums, figs, and grapes are grown with success, the fruit 
being well developed, large, and of fine flavor. Apples and pears are also 
grown, but are not so well suited to the climate. The mean annual rainfall 
is 36 inches, and is usually so distributed that there is no lack of moisture 
in autumn, winter, and spring, but it is sometimes too scant in summer to 
assure the best results in agriculture. For the past twenty years, however, 
crop failures have been very rare. Pure drinking water is obtained from 
springs, which are numerous, and from wells at a moderate depth. Farm 
fences are constructed, for the most part, of rails or plank, and cost from 
$150 to $200 per mile. Lumber is worth $25 per thousand feet. Unim- 
proved land can be bought for from $1.50 to $10 per acre, according to 
quality and location; improved tracts, for from $7 to $25, and on easy 
terms of payment. Rent of improved lauds is from $2.50 to $5 per acre. 
There are about thirty sections of State school lands in the county, suitable 
for farms, that can be bought at from $1 to $2 an acre, payable in twenty 
annual installments, with 8 per cent interest. 

Stockraising is not carried on as a separate business, but is a profitable 
adjunct of agriculture. According to the assessment rolls of 1882, there 
are in the county 26,884 cattle, 9035 horses and mules, 1741 sheep, 250 
goats, and 6484 hogs. There are many enclosed pastures, but large areas of 
open range still remain. There is a variety of grass known as Colorado 
grass, which springs up in the cultivated fields in the valleys after the 
crops are laid by, and yields large quantities of nutritious hay. There is 
a stock farm, with 19,000 acres enclosed, which is devoted to raising improved 
breeds on a large scale. Water for all purposes on this farm, which is noted 
for the completeness of its outfit, is obtained from the Guadalupe river, by 
means of pumps, some of which are driven by water power and others by 
steam. Work horses are worth from $25 to $75; mules, $40 to $150; 
oxen, $50 to $75 per yoke. Beef retails at from 8 to 10 cents per pound; 
pork, 6 to 8; bacon, 12^ to 15; corn, 50 cents to $1 per bushel; and flour, 
$3.50 to $5 a hundred pounds. 

The Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway passes nearly 
centrally through the county from northeast to southwest, and there are 
the following stations: Seguin, Kingsbury, Marion, and Cibolo. The 
International and Great Northern Railway runs near to and nearly parallel 
with the northwestern boundary of the county for thirty-two miles. 

Water power ot arge capacity, and easily utilized, is furnished by the 
Guadalupe river, there being a number of falls of from two to eight and a 
half feet between Seguin and New Braunfels, a distance of thirty miles by 
the course of the river. The greatest of these is four miles west of Seguin, 
and is estimated to be capable of furnishing two hundred horse-power at 
small expense. It is partially utilized in running a flouring and grist mill 
and a cotton gin. There are in all five flouring mills and three saw mills 
in the county, driven by water power. 



TEXAS EY COUNTIES.-- HAMILTON UjUNTY. 131 

Seguin, with a population of 1400, and a good local trade, is situated on 
an elevated plateau, on the banks of the Guadalupe river, and its streets are 
shaded by stately live oaks. 

There are 57 public free schools, for a scholastic population of 2006, and 
also a number of private schools, five of which, in the town of Seguin, are 
of high grade. Church organizations are numerous, and embrace the lead- 
ing religious denominations. The health of the county is exceptionally 
good, and the summer heat is greatly modified by the perennial gulf 
breezes. 



HAMILTON COUNTY 

Lies nearly midway between the Brazos and Colorado rivers, in North 
Central Texas. Hamilton, the county seat, is about 100 miles west of north 
of the capital of the State. Area, 977 square miles. 

Population in 1870 733 

Population in 1880 (24 colored) 0.365 

Population in 1882 (estimated) 7,500 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 $1,283,324 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 • 348,352 

The general surface is high rolling prairie, traversed by ranges of hills or 
mountains extending between the larger streams, which flow in a southeast- 
erly direction. The Leon and Bosque rivers, and Lampasas, Honey, Mus- 
tang, and Plum creeks, all large, and many smaller streams, widely dis- 
tributed, furnish an abundance of good water throughout the county, while 
bold springs are numerous, and wells are obtained at a moderate depth. 
The forests, covering about one-eighth of the area, consist chiefly of post 
oak, live oak, blackjack, pecan, elm, hackberry, cottonwood, and sycamore, 
which, on the river and creek bottoms, are of moderately large growth and 
suitable for building and fencing, while the timber on the uplands is short 
and scrubby, and is valuable mainly for fuel. 

On the open range the sedge grass grows luxuriantly and plentifully, 
and the more nutritious long and curly mesquite are found only in less 
abundance. The live stock in the county, according to the assessment 
(1882), numbers 24,230 cattle, 5645 horses and mules, 21,821 sheep, 423 
goats, and 5036 hogs. Little or no feed is required, except for sheep, to 
carry stock through the winter months in fair condition. Increased atten- 
tion is beginning to be paid to sheep, in respect both to food and shelter in 
severe weather, to the manifest advantage of that industry. Improved 



132 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



breeds are being introduced, and the result is seen in the gradual improve- 
ment in the quality, as well as increase in the average weight of fleece, 
which is estimated at eight pounds per annum. 

Over one-third of the area of the county is good farming land, of which 
not exceeding one-twentieth part is in cultivation, the average of farms being 
about 50 acres. The river and creek bottoms furnish an alluvial soil of 
great fertility, and the uplands are diversif J by the well known "black 
waxy" soil, and a dark loam with clay subsoil, both productive; the one 
resisting the effects of drouth better, the other being more easily cultivated. 
The mean annual rainfall is 36 inches, and, as a rule, fairly well distributed 
through the year. Under proper tillage, the yield per acre, in ordinarily 
favorable seasons, is, of cotton in the seed, 800 pounds; corn, 25 bushels; 
wheat, 12; oats, 60; rye, 25; barley, 40; sweet potatoes, 200; sorghum syrup, 
100 gallons; millet, 2 tons. Garden vegetables and melons of all kinds are 
grown in large quantities. Of cultivated fruits, only peaches and plums 
have been introduced to any considerable extent, and they do well. Pecans, 
wild grapes, black and dewberries are the abundant and spontaneous pro- 
ducts of the forests. Wild hnds of good quality can be bought at from $1 
to $3 per acre, and tracts with a part in cultivation at from $5 to $20; 
terms, one-third cash, and one and two years time on the remainder, with 
interest. There are four leagues of Hamilton county school lands located 
in the county, the most of which is held at $1 per acre; and also a small 
quantity of State school land of good quality, at a minimum price of $1 and 
$2 per acre, according to water supply. The money rental of cultivated 
land, with necessary houses, is usually $3 per acre, but farms are more 
generally worked on shares of the crop. The customary price of hired 
labor is $12.50 per month, with board. Improved agricultural implements 
are used to a limited extent, and are growing rapidly in favor. 

The Texas Central Railway crosses the extreme northern corner of the 
county, with one station, Hico, a town of 300 inhabitants. Hamilton, the 
county seat, has a population of about 400, and an annual trade of about 
$100,000. Centre City, with 100 inhabitants, Indian Gap, with 50, and 
Carleton, with 75, are the centres of thriving settlements. 

Five flouring mills, with all the modern appliances, and five saw mills, 
all driven by steam, are the only manufacturing enterprises yet in operation. 
Limestone of good quality for building purposes is abundant and accessible, 
and stone coal has been found on the surface in many portions of the 
county, but the quality and quantity of these deposits have not yet been 
ascertained by thorough geological exploration. 

The county tax is eighty-five cents on the one hundred dollars. For a 
scholastic population of 1218, there are 49 public tree schools, which are 
taught four and a half months in the year. The State school fund, supple- 
mented by the county fund, affords to each pupil $5 pei annum. There 
are also a number of private schools thioughout the county, moderately 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — HARDIN COUNTY. 133 

well attended. The Presbyterian, Christian, Baptist, and Methodist are the 
largest church organizations. Church edifices are numerous, and religious 
exercises well attended. Society presents the not uncommon exhibition of 
an old civilization transplanted in a new soil. 

The general elevation is 1600 feet above the sea level, the surface rolling, 
and, swept by the Texas trade winds, few or no local causes of disease are 
present, and good health is the prevailing condition of the inhabitants. 



HARDIN COUNTY 

Lies in Southeastern Texas, and is bounded on the east by the Neches 
river. Hardin, the county seat, is 52 miles northeast of the port of Sabine 
Pass, by the line of the Sabine and East Texas Railway. Area, 829 square 
miles. 

Population in 1870 1,460 

Population in 1880 (1 6 per cent colored) 1,870 

Estimated population in 1882 2,250 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $99,158 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 433,364 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,056,520 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 73,336 

Two- thirds of the county is covered with dense pine forests, while along 
the valleys of the numerous creeks are many varieties of hard wood, such 
as walnut, white oak, pin oak, water oak, mulberry, and ash. According to 
the Forrestry Bulletin of the United States Census Bureau, there were stand- 
ing in the county, in 1880, of the long-leaf pine (pinus Australis), 
1,244,800,000 feet, board measure, and of the loblolly pine (pinus twda), 
627,200,000 feet. Village creek, which runs through the county from north- 
west to southeast, is from thirty to one hundred feet wide, and capable of 
supplying water power sufficient for the largest machinery. This, with Big 
and Little Pine island bayous, Big Cypress, and Black creeks, and other 
smaller streams, distribute abundant and convenient water for all purposes. 
Wells of pure water are obtained in all parts of the county at from 15 to 
30 feet. 

The soils of the creek and river bottoms are divided between dark, 
loam, black waxy, and an alluvial, while the prairies and uplands are gray 
chocolate, or mulatto sandy land. The latter are not so fertile as the valleys, 
but are easily cultivated, and moderately productive. It is estimated that 
not more than 3000 acres are under fence in the county, on which the yield 



134 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

per acre, under proper tillage, is, of cotton, from one-third to one-half a. 
bale; corn, 20 to 25 bushels; sweet potatoes, from 125 to 250; oats, 25; 
and molasses, from ribbon cane, 300 gallons. Vegetables grow and yield 
fairly well, and fruit of all kinds common to the latitude can be success- 
fully raised with proper care and attention. The mean annual rainfall is 
41 inches, and damaging drouths are of very rare occurrence. "Wild land 
is worth from $1 to $4 an acre, and improved farms from $3 to $6. Land 
is usually rented on shares of one-fourth the cotton and one-third of other 
crops. There are 64,000 acres of State school lands in the county, which 
can be bought at a minimum price of from $1 to $5 an acre, according to 
the timber and water supply. The gaza, or Louisiana grass, is rapidly sup- 
planting the sedge grass on the prairie, but the sedge is still most abundant 
on the timber lands. Both are sufficiently plentiful and nutritious to 
supply good grazing the year round. The assessment rolls for 1882 credit 
the county with 1095 horses and mules, 5536 cattle, 4864 hogs, and 586 
sheep. Sheep raising is neglected, owing to the losses incurred by the rav- 
ages of wolves. Hogs are almost always raised and fattened on the mast 
and range. Work horses are worth $50; mules, $100; oxen, $60 per yoke. 
Beef retails at from 4 to 6 cents per pound; pork, 7 to 8; bacon, 12 to 16; 
corn, 75 cents to $1.25 per bushel; flour, $4 to $5 per 100 pounds. Deer, 
turkeys, and small game are abundant, and bear are found in considerable 
numbers. Every variety of fresh-water fish is numerous in the river and 
creeks. 

The chief industry of the county is cutting logs for the many saw mills 
at Beaumont, to which place they are sometimes carried by rail, but are 
generally rafted down the Neches river. 

The Sabine and East Texas Railway runs through the county from south- 
east to northwest, and has three stations, Concord, Kountze, and Village. 

In the southern portion of the county, seven miles north of the Texas and 
New Orleans Railway, is situated Sour Lake, a watering place, which has 
been resorted to by invalids, in large numbers, for twenty-five years. It is 
in a small prairie, skirted by large oaks, and near it twenty-seven kinds of 
mineral waters, possessing distinct tastes and medicinal properties, are to 
be found in as many shallow wells. These wells and the lake are in a con- 
stant state of ebullition, and the gasses thrown off fill the air with odors of 
sulphuric acid gas, petroleum, bituminous tar, and other substances. Some 
of these wells are strongly alkaline, and floating on the surface of the water 
is a tany film of the nature of crude petroleum. Others are largely 
impregnated with white sulphur and magnesia; others, still, are strongly 
chalybeate, and nearly all contain a large percentage of suphuric acid gas, 
which imparts to the waters a pleasant titilating sub-acid taste. The waters 
of the lake are used for bathing, and are very exhilarating and invigorating 
in their effects. In obstinate cases of cutaneous diseases, and of rheuma- 
tism, the mud from the bottom of the lake is used by smearing it over the 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — HARRIS COUNTY. 135 

part affected, or the entire surface of the body. The geological formation 
of the region consists of alternate layers of light brown and ash colored 
clay, soft calcareous marl, silicious sandstone, and bituminous shale, with 
occasional beds of lignite and iron pyrites. Immediately around the lake 
and wells are deposits of sulphur and magnesia, which lie near the surface 
under a dark crust of indurated bitumen, and are of great depth. 

Free schools are provided for a scholastic population of 487, with an 
average attendance of 65 per cent. Churches are established by the Metho- 
dist, Baptist, and Presbyterian denominations, and church conveniences are 
moderately good. 

The county has a small floating debt, and the county tax is twenty cents 
on the hundred dollars. 

The winters are mild, the summer heat is tempered by the perennial gulf 
breezes, and the general health good. Malarial attacks occur in some 
seasons, but are confined to the river and creek bottoms. 



HARRIS COUNTY. 

The city of Houston, the county seat of this county, is 55-J- miles north- 
northwest of Galveston harbor, by way of the ship channel through Buffalo 
bayou and Trinity and Galveston bays. It is also connected with Galves- 
ton harbor by the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railway, fifty miles 
in length, and by a branch of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. 
Area, 1800 square miles. 

Population in 1 860 9,070 

Population in 1870 17,375 

Population in 1880 (39 per cent colored) 27,985 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 y 9,695,8 11 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1 1,908,112 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 318,316 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 447,070 

Four-fifths of the area of the county is level or slightly undulating prairie, 
relieved by occasional motts or "islands of timber," the forest growth being 
confined, for the most part, to belts more or less wide along the numerous 
water-courses. The surface of the broad prairies in the southern portion 
presents an alternation of long and gentle swells and depressions, and 
ascends gradually northward from Clear creek, the southern boundary of 
the county. Trinity bay and Cedar bayou form its eastern boundary, 
Spring creek its northern, for over forty miles, and San Jacinto river flows 
in a southeasterly course through the eastern portion. Besides these there 



136 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



are Buffalo, Cypress, White Oak, Green's, Bray's, and Carpenter's bayous, 
and Clear creek, which are well distributed throughout the county. Buffalo 
bayou and Green "s bayou, Clear creek, and San Jacinto river are all navi- 
gable streams for greater or less distances. 

Eligibly and pleasantly situated on the west bank of Buffalo bayou, at the 
head of tide-water navigation on that stream, and within fifty miles of the 
gulf coast, is the city of Houston. It occupies a commanding position as 
the chief railway centre of the State, and presents the peculiar conditions of 
an inland city possessing, in large measure, the advantages of a sea port. 
The ship channel, in process of construction by the United States govern- 
ment, has been so far completed as to afford a water-way ample in width, 
with a present minimum depth of 7£ feet at mean low tide, from Galveston 
harbor to the railroad wharfs at Clinton, eight miles by rail below the city. 
Steamships drawing 9 feet of water now discharge their cargoes at these 
wharfs. The work of deepening this channel to 12 feet, and extending it 
to the wharfs of the city, is in successful progress, and with the liberal 
appropriations for the purpose already made by the government, and such 
further appropriations as may be required, of which there is no room for 
doubt, its early completion to the full depth proposed would seem to be 
assured. 

In its commercial, manufacturing, educational, and social advantages, the 
city is justly entitled to take rank among the most progressive and attrac- 
tive cities of the southwest. The nine railways radiating from this common 
centre to all parts of the State, viz: the Houston and Texas Central, the 
International and Great Northern, and its Columbia division, the Galveston, 
Harrisburg and San Antonio, the Texas and New Orleans, the Galveston, 
Houston and Henderson, the Houston, East and West Texas, the Texas 
Western, and a branch of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, embrace an 
aggregate mileage of 3233 miles. Auxiliary to these extended lines of 
road, is the Texas Transportation company, connecting the city with the 
railway wharfs at Clinton; and with the view to facilitating the transfer of 
freight from and to the several lines, the Houston Belt Railway is projected, 
to form a circuit around the city. The railway mileage within *he county 
of Harris aggregates 221 miles. The city has direct railway communica- 
tion, by the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway, with Mexico 
at Eagle Pase, a distance of 3S1 miles, and at El Paso, 827 miles, and by 
that road, connecting with the Southern Pacific, with San Francisco, on the 
Pacific coast, 2114 miles; by the Houston and Texas Central, and the Inter- 
national and Great Northern Railways, and their several connections, wim 
ihe Northern and Northwest States of the Union; and by the Texas and 
New Orleans Railway, with the sor.thern Gulf and Atlantic States. 

The following comparative statement will serve to show the progress of 
the city in population and wealth, and in some measure its commercial 
importance: 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. HARRIS COUNTY. 137 

Population in 1850 3,112 

Population in 1 SGO 6 > 047 

Population in 1870 11,584 

Population in 18S0 18,646 

Population in 1882 (estimated) 20,000 

Aggregate value of taxable property in 1881 $7,028,000 

Aggregate value of taxable property in 1882 7,766,651 

Capital invested in public works, gas, water, street railways, etc. 350,000 

Capital invested in shipping 360,060 

Capital invested in manufactures 1,500,000 

Capital invested in banking 700,000 

Capital invested in cotton compress 335,000 

Estimated sales of merchandise, manufactured articles, lumber, 

etc., in 1881 15,000,000 

Estimated sales of merchandise, manufactured articles, lumber, 

etc., in 1882 24,000,000 

EXPORTS OF TEXAS PRODUCTS YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1881. 

Value. 

Cotton, 195,301 bales $9,765,050 00 

Hides and peltries, 2,274,000 pounds 411,000 00 

Beeswax, 10,385 pounds 1,969 30 

Tallow, 50,760 pounds 3,553 20 

Wool, 1,972,000 pounds 394.400 00 

Goat skins, 10,000 2,000 00 

Cattle, 13,075 261,500 00 

Cotton seed oil 165,000 00 

Oil cake (foreign export) 200,000 00 

$11,204,472 50 

The receipts of cotton at Houston for the five years ending August 31, 
188.1, were, according to the statement of the Houston Cotton Exchange 
and Board of Trade, as follows: 

Bales. 

For the year ending August 31, 1877 41,221 

For the year ending August 31, 1878 (increase 31 per cent) 53,931 

For the year ending August 31, 1879 (increase 102 per cent) 108,865 

For the year ending August 31, 1880 (increase 47 per cent) 159,575 

For the year ending August 31, 1881 (increase 27£ per cent) 203,016 

Increase of 1881 over 1877 500 per cent 



138 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



The cotton receipts for the year ending August 31, 1882, are omitted from 
this comparative statement, for the reason that the cotton production of the 
State, cut short by the unprecedented drouth, which extended to all the 
cotton States, exhibited a falling off of 30| per cent from that of the previ- 
ous year, and hence the cotton receipts for that year would give no indication 
of the normal cotton trade of the city. 

The manufacturing interests of the city are of large and constantly 
increasing importance, and are represented by one cotton seed oil mill of 
large capacity, one flouring and grist mill, of a daily capacity of 600 barrels 
of flour and 500 barrels of meal, three plow factories, four large brass and 
iron foundries, three cooperage establishments, one steam power cotton gin. 
one extensive brick manufactory, and other lesser enterprises. The machine 
shops of what is known as the Huntington line of railway, including the 
Texas and New Orleans, and Southern Pacific Railways, have been located 
at Houston, and it is estimated that the works will cover an area of several 
acres, and give employment to a large number of machinists and other 
laborers. 

A well organized and conducted system of public free schools is in 
operation in the city, supported by a pro rata of the State school fund, supple- 
mented by a fund derived from a special city tax, and kept open for the full 
scholastic term of nine months. In these schools, for the year 1882-3, 
2861 pupils, within the scholastic age, are enrolled. Besides the free schools 
in the city, there are a number of private schools and academies of high 
grade, that are well sustained. In the county, outside of the city limits, 
free schools are provided for 1793 children within the scholastic age. 

All the leading religious denominations have church organizations and 
houses of worship in the city, and in every neighborhood the church con- 
veniences are moderately good. 

Houston is not more noted for the enterprise and sagacity than for the hos- 
pitality, courtesy, and social culture of its citizens. To a combination of these 
influences is she indebted for the high position, commercially and socially, 
which she has attained and bids fair to hold. 

It is estimated that two-thirds of the area of the county is suitable for 
purposes of agriculture, though, according to the best estimates, not more 
than 30,000 acres are in cultivation. The soil of the prairies in the southern 
part of the county is a black, tenacious, lime land; that of those nearer the 
city, and north and east of it, a dark, friable earth, with a slight admixture 
of sand; on the margin of the prairies, where there is a growth of small pine, 
is a light gray, or yellowish, compact soil; and in the bottoms bordering the 
streams, a deep, mellow alluvium; the latter, owing to the heavy growth of 
timber, and the consequent expense of clearing the land, is little used for 
purposes of cultivation. Cotton, corn, oats, rye, sweet and Irish potatoes, 
hay, and millet are largely grown and return a heavy yield. Every vege- 
table common to the latitude, and many of the rarer and more delicate 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. HARRIS COUNTY. 139 

kinds, are raised in large quatities. Around and near the city of Houston, 
market gardening is an important and profitable industry. Much attention 
has been paid to the cultivation of grapes and fruit of all kinds, and with 
good success. Strawberries have proved a profitable crop, the fruit attain- 
ing a large size, and possessing the finest flavor. Dewberries and blackberriea 
are indigenous to the soil, and grow in great profusion. The mean annual 
rainfall is 48 inches, and the seasons are unusually propitious for diversified 
farming. Unimproved land, suitable for farms, can be bought at from $1 
to $5 per acre, and tracts with a portion in cultivation, with necessary 
buildings, etc., at from $10 to $25 per acre. The rental of farms is from $3 
to $5 per acre. Ordinary rail fencing costs about $250 per mile, and lumber 
$18 to $22 per thousand feet. 

There are many large enclosed pastures, but much of the best grazing 
lands are still open range." 1 Within the last few years, the grza, or Louisiana 
grass, has been introduced, and is spreading rapidly, being of more luxuri- 
ant growth and more nutritious than the native grasses. Stock keep in 
good condition on the open range the year round, rarely receiving other 
feed. According to the assessment rolls of 1882, there were in the county, 
on January 1 of that year, 32,350 cattle, 7585 horses and mules, 4000 sheep, 
611 goats, and 3087 hogs. 

Along Buffalo bayou, San Jacinto river, and some of the other streams, 
are large bodies of the most valuable varieties of oak, cypress, and other 
timbers suitable for ship building. There is also considerable areas of pine, 
and several steam saw mills find profitable employment in the manufacture 
of lumber. The amount of merchantable loblolly pine (pinus toeda) stand- 
ing in the county, on May 31, 1880, according to the estimate of the 
special agent of the Census Bureau, given in Forestry Bulletin No. 1, was 
1,827,200,000 feet, board measure. Bordering many of the streams, and 
especially Buffalo bayou, and in the suburbs of the city of Houston, is a 
luxuriant growth of the magnolia grandiflora, whose rich, evergreen foliage 
and flowers of perfumed snow impart an unwonted brilliancy to the 
landscape. 

For all domestic purposes, cistern water is preferred, and most generally 
used, but pure water is obtained from springs and wells; from the latter at 
a depth of from 15 to 35 feet, in all parts of the county. 

The proximity of the county to the gulf coast, and the unobstructed play 
of the almost incessant gulf breezes, are in a high degree conducive, not 
only to the healthfulness, but to the equability of the climate. The mean 
winter temperature is about 57 deg. Fahrenheit, and the mean summer 
temperature about 80 deg. No epidemic has ever prevailed in the rural 
portions of the county, and the city of Houston has not been visited by the 
yellow fever for the past fifteen years. With the vigorous enforcement of 
the wise sanitary and quarantine regulations, which have proved an effectual 
barrier for the period named, a recurrence of the epidemic is believed to be 
scarcely within the bounds of reasonable apprehension. 



140 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

HARRISON COUNTY 

Is situated in Northeast Texas, adjoining the boundary line of Louisiana, 
and on the parallel of 32 deg. 30 min. north latitude. Area, 899 square 
miles. 

Population in 1870 13,241 

Population in 1880 (two-thirds colored) 25,177 

Estimated population in 1882 30,000 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870. $2,289,919 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 3,026,364 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 236,399 

It is a high, rolling country, made up of low hills and more or less 
extended valleys and table lands, the entire area, except the comparatively 
small portion in farms, being covered with heavy forests, composed chiefly 
of red oak, post oak, hickory, ash, elm, blackjack, and pine on the uplands, 
and of white oak, red oak, sweet gum, walnut, and beech on the bottom 
lands. According to the United States Forestry Bulletin, there were stand- 
ing in the county, in 1880, 2,326,400,000 feet of merchantable short-leaf 
pine. Two-thirds of the entire area is susceptible of profitable cultivation, 
and the tillable soils consist of a light gray, or chocolate loam, on a red clay 
foundation, on the uplands, and a dark, deep loam on the bottoms, each 
kind being free, fairly pioductive, and very easy of cultivation. 

The principal water-courses are the Sabine river, forming the southern 
boundary for twenty-five miles, and Little Cypress bayou, flowing through 
the northern portion, and emptying into Caddo Lake, a large body of fresh 
water, which for a distance of about thirty miles is the northern boundary. 
There are also several large and many small creeks, very few of which go 
dry in any season. There are many springs of pure freestone water, and 
wells are obtained in all parts of the county at a depth of from 25 to 30 
feet. The usual yield, per acre, with proper tillage, is, of cotton, one-third to 
one-half of a bale; corn, 20 to 30 bushels; wheat, 8 to 10; oats, 25 to 35; 
potatoes, Irish, 80 to 100; sweet, 150 to 250; and most other farm products, 
and all vegetables common to the latitude, are produced in like proportion. 
Fruits are raised in large quantities, not only for home consumption, but 
for shipment. Peaches, pears, apricots, plums, and quinces find here a 
favorable soil and climate. The earlier varieties of apples yield well, and 
possess good shipping qualities. A number of small vineyards have proved 
successful, and larger ones are being planted. Blackberries and dewberries 
are indigenous to the soil, and strawberries and raspberries are a sure crop. 
The mean annual rainfall is 50 inches, and failure of crops from drouth is of 
very rare occurence. "Wild land, suitable for farms, can be bought for 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. HARRISON COUNTY. 141 

from $1 to $4 an acre, and tracts with a portion in cultivation at prices 
proportioned to the value of the improvements. Lands rent for from $2.50 
to $4 per acre, or for one-fourth of the cotton and one-third of other crops. 
Ordinary rail fencing costs from $90 to $100 per mile. Lumber, at the 
mills, is worth $12 per thousand feet. 

Stockraising is carried on only in connection with farming, as the county 
is not well adapted to raising large herds. The raising of improved breeds 
of stock is beginning to attract attention, and one large stock farm of this 
character is in successful operation. "Work horses are worth about $60; 
mules, $75 to $100; oxen, $50 per yoke. Beef is sold at retail at 4 cents 
^per pound; mutton, 4; pork, 6; and bacon, 12-J; corn, from 50 cents to $1 
per bushel; flour, $8.50 per barrel. Game is scarce, but the ordinary 
varieties of fish are numerous. 

The Texas and Pacific Railway runs through the county, east and west, 
via Marshall to Shreveport, and from Marshall north to Texarkana. The 
Sabine Pass and Texas Northwestern Railway is under construction from 
Marshall in the direction of Sabine Pass. A company has been organized, 
a preliminary survey made, and right of way obtained for a road from 
Marshall northwest, and intended to connect with the Paramore narrow 
gauge system. Another road from St. Louis, through the Indian Nation 
to Paris, in Lamar county, has been chartered, with a view to form a 
connection at Marshall with the Sabine Pass and Texas Northwestern Rail- 
way. Marshall, the county seat, has a population of about 7000, and has 
long been noted for its culture, intelligence, and social and educational 
advantages. There are located there the Masonic Male and Female Insti- 
tute, the Marshall University, and a male and female academy, under the 
direction of the Roman Catholics. In addition to these there are five or six 
private schools of a lower grade. The colored population have two acade- 
mies, well endowed, provided with substantial brick buildings, and under the 
management of white teachers. There are also in the county public free 
schools provided for a scholastic population of 5171, besides 906 in the city 
schools of Marshall, the schools being apportioned between white and 
colored pupils according to their respective numbers. All the leading 
religious denominations have commodious houses of worship in Marshall, 
and churches are found in every neighborhood, both for the white and 
colored population. There are a number of railroad stations in the county 
that are the centres of thriving communities and the seats of a good local 
trade. 

Iron ore, of superior quality and in great abundance, is found in many 
parts of the county. A foundry, engaged in the manufacture of car wheels 
and freight cars, and employing over three hundred men, obtains its supply 
of iron ore within a mile of Marshall, at which place the machine shops of 
the Texas and Pacific Railway are located, mainly on account of its prox- 
imity to these deposits of iron ore. There are also two wagon factories, one 



142 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

cotton gin factory, and an ice factory at Marshall. The county has a 
bonded debt, for a railroad subsidy, of $200,000, running 20 years, at 6 per 
cent, and a floating debt of about $15,000. The bonded debt is provided 
for and the floating debt is being rapidly reduced. The county tax is 90 
cents and the city tax 25 cents on the $100. 
The general health is very good. 



HAYS COUNTY. 

This county lies in latitude 30 deg. north, and longitude 98 dog. west, 
and San Marcos, the county seat, is 30 miles southwest of the city of Austin, 
by the International and Great Northern Railway. Area, 683 square 
miles. 

Population in 1870 4, OSS 

Population in 1880 (one-fifth colored) ",555 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 SS15,705 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,880,885 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,080,210 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 235,431 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 333,835 

The northern portion is hilly and broken, the hills and rocky ridges rising 
to the height of several hundred feet, and being almost mountainous in 
their proportions. This rather rugged section is clothed with timber of 
different kinds, such as Spanish oak, live oak, cedar, pecan, elm, and 
mesquite, besides minor varieties, and is intersected by water-courses which 
are bordered by fertile valleys. The southern and eastern sections of the 
county are composed of prairies dotted with groves of timber, gently broken 
by wide swelling undulations, and covered with luxuriant native grasses. 
This prairie region comprises somewhat less than half the area of the county. 
The principal streams are the San Marcos and Blanco rivers. Besides these, 
there are Cypress, Onion, and Bear Creeks, and many other smaller streams, 
all flowing to the southeast, and affording permanent water of clear and 
limpid quality. The San Marcos river is noted foi its beauty, issuing, as it 
does, from a large spring whose crystal waters burst from the earth at the 
foot of the mountains. There are many bold springs, and wells are obtained 
at a shallow depth, but cisterns -are also generally used The spring and 
well water, like that of the streams, is impregnated with lime, but is health- 
ful and pleasant to the taste. The mean annual rainfall for the past twenty 
years has been above 30 inches. It is not regularly distributed, but is 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — HAYS COUNTY. 143 

sufficiently so to render the growth of both summer and winter crops 
reasonably sure. 

About two-thirds of the area is arable, and not exceeding one-fifth of this 
is in cultivation. The soil of the creek bottoms in the northern part is 
alluvial and very productive. That of the prairie region, which is equally 
fertile, is generally the black waxy soil, v ith a chocolate-colored loam pre- 
dominating here and there. On each of these soils corn, cotton, wheat, 
millet, sorghum, and potatoes do equally well. Cotton yields from 600 to 
800 pounds per acre, in the seed; corn, 30 bushels; wheat, 12; oats, 60; 
sorghum syrup, 200 gallons; Irish potatoes, 75 bushels; sweet potatoes, 150; 
millet, 2 to 4 tons. Garden vegetables of all the usual varieties are 
produced in abundance. Of cultivated fruits, peaches, apples, plums, pears, 
and grapes are grown successfully, 'ihe wild fruits, plums, black haws, 
black persimmons, and dewberries are a sure crop. Of native nuts, there 
are the pecan and walnut, which are found everywhere along the borders of 
the streams. Wild land, suitable for farms, ranges in price from S3 to $15 
per acre. Improved land, with buildings thereon, is worth from $10 to 
$25 per acre, and rents for $4 an acre, or for one-third of the grain and 
one-fourth of the cotton. Farm laborers are paid an average of $15 per 
month. 

The county has of live stock, as shown by the assessment rolls of 1882, 
22,810 cattle, 6517 horses and mules, 14,264 sheep, 1308 goats, and 3441 
hogs. The mesquite and sedge are the prevailing grasses, and are of good 
quality, both for grazing and for hay. 

The International and Great Northern Railway passes through the county, 
and has three stations within its limits, viz: San Marcos, Kyle, and Hunter. 
San Marcos, the county seat, has a population of 1500, and is pleasantly 
situated at the base of the mountains, and at the head of the river of the 
same name. Kyle is a thriving town of 500 inhabitants, and Mountain 
City, a few miles from Kyle, is also a pleasant village, situated in the midst 
of a fertile and picturesque country. 

The San Marcos and Blanco rivers and Cypress creek each afford valu- 
able water power, and on the former are five flouring and grist mills, and a 
number of cotton gins, within a distance of three miles. The water power 
of the two latter is also utilized by saw mills, grist mills, and gins, but to a 
less extent. 

The scholastic population is 1493, of which number 365 are colored, and 
there are 34 public free schools, with an average attendance of 1000 pupils. 
There are also four private schools, viz: the Coronal Institute, an educa- 
tional institution of high grade, situated at San Marcos; the Dripping 
Springs Academy, at Dripping Springs; the Kyle High School, at Kyle; and 
Science Hall, at Mountain City; each under competent teachers, and well 
attended. 

The religious denominations are numerously represented by the Metho- 



144 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

dists, Presbyterians, Cumberland Presbyterians, Baptists, Episcopalians, and 
Christians. They are severally supplied with church edifices, some of 
which are large and of handsome architectural design. 

The general character of the people for law and order is good, and as a 
community they are noted for intelligence and hospitality. The healthful- 
ness of the county is proverbial. 



HENDERSON COUNTY. 

This county is bounded on the west by the Trinity and on the east by 
the Neches river, and Athens, the county seat, is 250 miles west of north of 
the city of Houston, by the Texas and St. Louis, connecting with the Hous- 
ton and Texas Central Railway. Area, 965 square miles. 

Population in 1870 6,786 

Population in 1880 (21 per cent colored) 9,735 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 *;717,281 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1.545,047 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,625,785 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 228,865 

Here the heavily timbered district of Eastern Texas reaches its northwest- 
ern limit. Originally the county was almost an unbroken forest, the areas 
of open country being very small, and it is estimated that less than 40,000 
acres have been denuded of timber. Level uplands, high, sandy hills, and 
wide, alluvial bottoms bordering the streams, constitute the general surface 
of the county. The many tributaries of the Trinity, or Neches, Kickapoo, 
Flat, Twin, Caney, Walnut, Cedar, and other creeks, supply abundant and 
unfailing water in all parts of the county. Cisterns are used to some extent, 
and there are many good springs of pure freestone water, but wells are 
mainly depended on, and are easily obtained. The uplands are covered 
with post oak, red oak, hickory, blackjack, and sandjack, and in and near 
the bottoms are found water oak, white oak, sweet gum, sassafras, and other 
varieties of valuable timber. The enumerator of the Forestry Bureau of 
the United States Census Office computes the number of feet, board measure, 
of pinus mitts, or short-leaf pine, standing in the county, on May 31, 
1880, at 521,600,000 feet. It is estimated that three-fourths of the soil is 
suitable for farms; the uplands being mostly a gray sandy, and the bottoms 
a ricn alluvium. Much of the upland is poor, and unsuited for farming 
purposes but all of it under cultivation yields much better than its appear- 
ince would indicate, and is, one year with another, among the surest and best 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. HENDERSON COUNTY. 145 

producing cotton lands in Texas. The mean annual rainfall is about 42 
inches, and the seasons are usually regular. In 1S80, a year well adapted 
in point of rainfall (which was heavy), to the soil, the returns show that 
the average yield, per acre, in the county, was 1300 pounds of cotton in 
the seed; and in 1881 an exceptionably dry year, 650 pounds. Com 
yields from 20 to 30 bushels; oats, 15 to 35; and all kinds of vegetable^ 
are raised cheaply and in abundance. Peaches and apples are generally 
grown, and the iruit, where select varieties receive proper attention, reaches 
a large size, and the yield is heavy. Wild land, suitable for farms, and 
with sufficient timber on it to fence it, is worth from $1 to $2.50 per acre, 
and improved farms from $5 to $10. Ordinary fencing costs from $100 
to $125 d, mile. No hedges are grown. Good pine lumber is worth from 
$1.25 to $2.00 per hundred. 

Stockraising is generally confined to the rearing of sufficient for domestic 
use, nearly every iarmar owning more or lesr. The only native grass is the 
sedge, which does not furnish good vinter pasturage, and stock requires 
feeding in winter. The latest assessment rolls (1882) show, in the county 
3545 horses and mules, 16,348 cattle, 812 sheep, 193 goats, and 12,970 hogs 
The latter are generally raised .nd fattened for pork on the mast. Horses 
are worth from )|40 to $100; mules, $75 to $135; oxen, $40 to $60 per 
yoke. Beef retails at from I to 6 cents per pound; pork. 4 to 8; bacon, 10 
to 15, corn, 50 celts to $1 per bushel; flour, $4 to $5 per hundred. Large 
numbers of domestic fowls are raised, and both large and small game and 
fish are abundant The Texas and St. Louis Narrow Gauge Railway runs 
ihrough the county from northeast to southwest, and has six stations. There 
is a sufficient number of saw mills in the county to supply the local demand 
■''or lumber, and t number of cotton gins and grist mills, driven by steam 
power. Agriculture is tin; chief industry of the country. No minerals 
have been discovered, and only a limited water power exists. The scholastic 
census shows tin number of children provided for in the public fre.. 
schools to be 1721 of which there is an average daily attendance of abou 
70 per cent. Thtre are also a number of private schools in the county 
The Methodist, Baptist, Christian, and Presbyterian denominations have 
churches in the ccunty, and there is a church of some kind in nearly every 
neighborhood. Tie rate of county tax is 20 cents on the $100, and the 
county is out of d«bt and has a large balance in the treasury. The popula- 
tion is in large pan from the older Southern States, and is characterized by 
a peaceable, law-abding spirit, and life and property, both of white and 
colored, are guardei and protected by wise laws, vigorously enforced. In 
the summer and fall when preceded by wet springs, malarial sickness is occa- 
sionally prevalent, bit there is but little sickness beside that where even. 
ordinary attention ispaid to the primary laws of health. The summer tem- 
perature ranges fron}65 to 90 deg., and the winter from 30 to 57 deg. 
10 



146 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



HIDALGO COUNTY 

Lies in the shape of a triangle, with the base resting on the Rio Grande, 
about 75 miles above its mouth. Area, 2365 square miles. 

Population in 1870 2,387 

Population in 1880 (114 colored) 4,347 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $264,478 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 411,537 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 505,958 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 190,679 

Two-thirds of its area is prairie, sloping gradually southward toward the 
river, and carpeted with a luxuriant growth of mesquite and other grasses. 
The scattered motts, or thin belts, of timber on the other prtion is generally 
small and scrubby, and consists principally of mesquite ebony, elm, ash, 
willow, hackberry, and huezache, the mesquite, howevei, in many places, 
forming dense chaparals. Along the banks of the Rio Giande, at intervals, 
are found skirts of timber from one-half to two miles loig, which contain 
many trees of large growth, the ebony and mesquite especially, which 
attain a circumference of five to six feet. The Rio Gran da, which forms its 
southern boundary a distance of 60 miles, fresh water lakes, artificial lakes, 
and ponds constitute the main water supply, but for donestic use, and in 
many places for stock, wells are used, and are easily obtained at a shallow 
depth. 

Stockraising is almost the exclusive pursuit of the inlabitants, and the 
latest assessment rolls credit the county with 16,925 cafcle, 15,563 horses 
and mules, 4614 goats, and 23,506 sheep. It is believed that these figures 
are but little in excess of half the real number of stock at this time (Sep- 
tember, 1882). Stock are never fed, but keep in good condition on the open 
range the year round. The only expense in stockraising is the interest on 
the capital invested in land and improvements (where pasures are enclosed), 
and the pay of from $10 to $12 per month and board to " vaqueros" or 
herdsmen. Where raised on the unenclosed range, as is mostly the case, 
there is practically no expense except the hire of hercsmen. Work and 
riding horses are worth from $20 to $30 ; mules, $30 10 $5) ; oxen, $35 a yoke. 
Beef, at retail, 5; mutton, 3; pork, 5; and bacon, 12-£ t< 15 cents a pound; 
corn, $1 a bushel; flour, $9 to $12 per barrel. Gaua is abundant, con- 
sisting principally of snipe, quails, deer, turkeys, and ,avalis (a species of 
wild hog), and in winter, large numbers of ducks andgeese. Catfish, and 
a few other kinds of ordinary fish, are found in the Ro Grande. One-half 
the entire county is well adapted to purposes of griculture, but it is 



TEXAS EY COUNTIES. — HIDALGO COUNTY. 147 

estimated that only 1800 acres have been reduced to cultivation. The soil 
on the upland prairie and in the timber is, for the most part, a dark loamy 
land, and in the valleys of the Rio Grande, a rich, dark alluvial soil, and 
both varieties have proved highly productive. The mean annual rainfall ia 
33 inches, but is generally too scant in late spring and summer for crops 
maturing in those seasons. Irrigation is necessary in order to insure sucb 
crops, and is easily and cheaply effected by means of the Rio Grande. 
With fair seasons and ordinarily careful cultivation, cotton produces from 
one-half to one bale; corn 20 to 30 bushels; sweet potatoes, 100; and sugar, 
from 6 to 9 "cargos" of 300 pounds weight each. The county lies between 
the parallels of north latitude 26 deg. and 27 deg. 25 min., being about 85 
miles from its southern to its northern border. The climate is mild, and 
from the results, so far as tried, it is believed the soil and climate are well 
adapted to the growth of cotton, sugar, and corn. Figs, grapes, peaches, 
guavas, melons, pomegranates, and blackberries grow luxuriantly, and yield 
fruit of fine size and delicate flavor. Those competent to judge express the 
belief that the growth of most tropical fruits would prove a sure and highly 
profitable business, owing to the fertility of the soil and the almost tropical 
mildness of the climate. About 45 miles north of the town of Hidalgo is 
the Sal del Rey, or Great Salt Lake, a body of water about one mile in 
diameter, and nearly round in shape, which is so strongly impregnated with 
salt that its specific gravity is said to t be equal to that of the human body. 
The bottom of the lake consists of crystalized salt of the purest quality, in 
layers about twelve inches thick, with a thin deposit of earth between them. 
To what depth these layers extend is not known, as they have never been 
penetrated to the bottom. The salt is dug out with picks and crowbars, 
and the excavations made are, in a few days, filled, as if none had been 
removed. The lake is believed to rest on a bed of mineral salt, as it is 
completely shut in by land considerably higher than the surrounding coun- 
try, and has no surface communication with any other water. 

The only town in the county is Hidalgo, the county seat, which is situated 
Dii the Rio Grande, tnd has about 500 inhabitants. 

The scholastic population, organized into school communities in the year 
1881-82, was 294, for which there were 11 public free schools, which were 
taught four and a quarter months. About 90 per cent of the inhabitants 
are Mexicans, who aie indifferent to education, and indisposed to patronize 
the public schools Ihere is one church (Roman Catholic) at Hidalgo. 

The county has a floating debt of about $500, and the county tax is fifty 
cents on the one hundred dollars-. Trade flows to Brownsville. 

No causes of malaria exist diseases of a serious nature are rare, and the 
climate is considered r«markaoly healthful. 



148 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



HILL COUNTY. 

This county lies in Central Texas, and the Brazos river forms its south- 
western boundary for a distance, by the course of the stream, of fifty miles. 
Hillsboro, the county seat, is 271 miles, by railway, northwest of the port 
of Galveston. Area, 1030 square miles. 

Population in 1870 7,453 

Population in 1880 (about 500 colored) 16,554 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $2, 730,560 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 3,407,545 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 4,021,655 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 511,815 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 667,950 

A belt of woodland, about eight miles wide, and known as the lower 
cross-timbers, runs longitudinally through the western part of the county, 
and this, together with the forest growth along the streams, constitutes 
about one-third of the area, The remainder is rolling prairie, which has, 
in some portions, a black limy soil, intermixed with sand; in others a 
tenacious, stiff waxy land. The soil in the timbered uplands is generally 
a loose, gray loam, and on the Brazos bottoms, a reddish-brown alluvium. 

The chief water-courses are the Brazos river, a broad, bold stream; 
Nolan's river, swift and shallow, but never failing; and Whiterock, Rich- 
land, Pecan, Aquilla, and many smaller streams, which, in dry weather, cease 
to run. These streams afford abundant stock water, and the Brazos furnishes 
water power which is to some extent utilized for milling purposes. Water 
for domestic purposes is obtained from springs, wells, aad cisterns. Tanks, 
or artificial ponds, are much used for stock where streams are not at hand. 

Post oak, blackjack, hickory, pecan, elm, and hackberry are the leading 
varieties of timber. Ordinary fencing costs about $150 per mile. Bois 
d'arc hedges have proved successful, and are used to a considerable extent. 
Good pine lumber is worth $18 to $20 per thousand feet. Improved agricul- 
tural implements are much used, both in breaking lard and in cultivation. 
The production, per acre, under ordinarily favorable conditions, is, of cotton, 
one-fourth to two-thirds of a bale; corn, 25 to 40 busiels; wheat, 10 to 15; 
oats, 50 to 75; barley, 40 to 50; and sorghum, 100 gillons. Vegetables of 
all kinds are easily raised. Peaches, pears, the earlier varieties of apples, 
plums, raspberries, and strawberries do well. Land, vith houses for tenants, 
rents for from $3 to $4 per acre, or one-fourth of tie cotton and one-third 
of other crops. Unimproved land, suitable for faming, is wortn from $1 
to $6 an acre; improved farms, from $10 to $25, according to the proportion 
of cultivated land and value of the improvements. 



TEXAS EY COUNTIES. — HOOD COUNTY. 149 

Stock are raised almost entirely on the range, the sedge and the curly and 
running mesquite grasses furnishing unfailing and nutritious pasturage. 
The number of live stock in the county is 26,125 cattle, 12,822 horses and 
mules, 6298 sheep, 358 goats, and 5657 hogs. "Work horses are worth from 
$60 to $75; mules, $75 to $150; oxen, $45 to $60 a yoke. Beef retails at 
from 4 to 7 cents per pound; mutton, 7; porK, 7; Dacon, 15; corn, 50 to 75 
cents per bushel; and flour, $3.50 to $5 per hundred pounds. 

The Texas Central, the Missouri Pacific, the Texas and St. Louis, and 
the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railways run througn the county, and 
there are seven stations. Hillsboro, the county seat, nas aDOut 1500 inhab- 
itants, Whitney about 750, and Hubbard City about 250. All thriving 
towns. 

There are several flouring mills, and a large number of cotton gins, some 
propelled by water power and others by steam. 

The scholastic population is 3325, for which there are 76 public free 
schools, with an average attendance of about 70 per cent. Church conve- 
niences are good. The Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopalian, 
and Seventh Day Adveniist denominations all have church organizations 
and buildings. The laws are generally observed, and the rights of persons 
and property respected. With the exception of malarial attacks, occasion- 
ally in summer and fall, which are mostly confined to river and creek 
bottoms, the general health is good. Serious sickness is very uncommon. 



HOOD COUNTY 

Is in North Central Texas, and Granbury, the county seat, is 36 miles 
southwest of Fort Worth and 25 miles south of Weatherford, the nearest 
station on the Texas and Pacific Railway. Area, 492 square miles. 

Population in 1870 2,585 

Population in 1880 (198 colored) 6,125 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $423,194 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,367,956 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 307,410 

The general surface of the county is broken, with a succession of gentle 
elevations and broad valleys, rising into abrupt and rocky hills in some 
portions, among which are Comanche peak and Thompson mountain, the 
first of which may be seen a distance of 25 to 30 miles. The wide valleys 
between the ranges of hills and along the streams are fertile farming lands. 

The Brazos river flows a distance of 45 miles, by the tortuous course ot 



150 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



the stream, through the eastern half of the county; and Paluxy, Long, Stroud, 
Robertson, Squaw, "Walnut, Kickapoo, Fall, and Rucker creeks, all never 
failing streams, make the water supply very convenient and general. Wells 
are easily obtained at a moderate depth in every part of the county, and 
springs of both freestone and mineral water are numerous. 

About one-fourth of the area is covered with a growth of post oak, Span- 
ish oak, mesquite, pecan, walnut, cottonwood, and elm, varying in quantity 
in the order named. The timber is generally short, but is suitable for fuel 
and rails, and in many portions of the county for ordinary buildings. 

About one-half the area is good farming land, the woodland being usually 
red sandy, and the prairies and creek valleys dark sandy, and in the Brazos 
bottom, here mostly above overflow, the soil is a deep loam, brownish- 
colored by reason of a large intermixture of the red oxide of iron. 

Good pasture land is worth $1 an ac;e, good unimproved farming 
land $5 an acre, and improved farms from $5 to $10, according to value of 
improvements. Usual terms, one-third cash, balance in one and two years. 
Usual rental price, $2.50 to $3. There are a few sections of State school 
land in the county, which can be bought at from $1 to $2 an acre, according 
to the water supply, payable in 20 annual installments, with 8 per cent 
interest. 

Common rail fencing costs about $200 a mile. Building and fencing 
stone is abundant and easily quarried, and rock fencing costs about, $700 a 
mile. Good pine lumber is worth $25 per thousand. Farm laborers are 
paid $10 to $15 a month and board. Improved agricultural implements are 
used to a considerable and increasing extent. The production per acre, 
under ordinarily favorable conditions, is, of cotton, one-third to five-eighths 
of a bale; corn, 25 to 40 bushels; wheat, 12 to 15; oats, 60 to 80; rye, 20 
to 30; barley, 40 to 60; sorghum syrup, 200 gallons; sweet potatoes, 100 to 
150 bushels; hay, and millet, 2 tons. All early vegetables are a sure and 
abundant crop, and the late kinds do well about two years in three. The 
mean annual rainfall, estimated at 36 inches, is always sufficient for winter 
and spring crops, but is occasionally deficient in summer. 

Of the native grasses the sedge largely predominates, but the long and 
curly mesquite are abundant and luxuriant. In very severe winters owners 
•of small herds feed stock more or less, but generally they are raised and keep 
in good condition on the open range. The number of live stock in 
the county is as follows: Cattle, 17,328; horses and mules, 5107; sheep, 
3594; goats, 737; hogs, 7621. "Work horses are worth $40 to $60; mules, 
$50 to $100; oxen, $50 a yoke. Beef retails at from 5 to 7 cents per 
pound; mutton, 6 to 8; pork, 7; and bacon, 12£; corn, 50 cents to $1 a 
bushel; flour, $4 a hundred. A few deer and wild turkeys are found, and 
geese, ducks, snipe and plover are numerous. Cat, perch, trout, and suckers 
are the chief varieties of fish, and are found in considerable numbers in the 
larger streams. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. HOPKINS COUNTY. 151 

There are three flouring mills, run by water power, on the Paluxy, and 
one on the Brazos, and it is believed that these streams will afford power 
sufficient for manufactories on a large scale. There is also one wagon 
factory and a number of blacksmith and wood shops. Wine is manufac- 
tured to a considerable extent from the native mustang grape, which grows 
wild in large quantities. No fruit except peaches are largely grown, but 
the success of one or two fine orchards in the county show that apples and 
pears will do well. Blackberries are indigenous to the soil, and yield large 
quantities of fruit of fine flavor. 

The Fort Worth and Rio Grande Railway is projected to run through 
Granbury and westward, and the Waxahachie Tap Railway through the 
northeastern corner of the county in the direction of Weatherford. It is 
believed the construction of both of these lines at an early day is assured. 

The scholastic population is 1131, and the number of public free schools 
32. Besides these, there are the Granbury High School, with 275 students; 
Add Ran College, at Thorp's Springs, with 325 students; Mahan's Commer- 
cial College, at the same place, with 60 students; and Acton Institute, with 
100 students. All these institutions are ably conducted and enjoy high rep- 
utation. Granbury has a population of 800, Thorp's Springs 600, and Ac- 
ton 150. 

The Methodist, Baptist, Christian, and Presbyterian denominations have 
church organizations and buildings in the county, and church conveniences 
are good. The population is peaceable and law-abiding, and the standard 
of intelligence and morals is high. 

The county has a floating debt of about $3000, and the county tax is 
37£ cents on the $100. 

The temperature in summer ranges from 70 to 95 deg., and in winter 
from 30 to 55 deg. The altitude of the general surface, and the thorough 
drainage, remove all local causes of disease; indeed the salubrity of the 
climate and the valuable mineral waters of Thorp's Springs combine to make 
the county a resort for invalids. 



HOPKINS COUNTY 

Lies in Northeastern Texas, and is separated from Red River by the 
counties of Delta and Lamar. Area, 755 square miles. 

Population in 1870 12,651 

Population in 1880 (14 per cent colored) 15,461 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,448,376 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,334,735 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 376,540 



3 52 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

The surface is generally level, but sufficiently undulating for thorough 
•drainage, and two-thirds of the area is covered with a dense forest growth, 
interspersed here and there with prairies of considerable extent. There are 
few or no abrupt hills, and the undulations are so gentle that a large pro- 
portion of the land is suitable for cultivation. The southeast half has, for 
the most part, a light, sandy soil, from 6 to 18 inches in depth, on a sub- 
stratum of red clay, and the northwest half is divided between a heavy, 
gray sandy, and a black, tenacious lime soil. On the streams, the soil, in 
-•some portions, is a black, friable loam, and in others a red, or chocolate, 
alluvium. South Sulphur Fork of Red River forms its north boundary, 
and the other principal streams are White Oak, Caney, Cypress, Stout's, 
Rock, Turkey, Elm, Garrett, Burk, and Running creeks. There are many 
line springs, and wells of good water are easily obtained, at from 18 to 30 
feet. Cisterns are also much used. The principal forest trees are post oak, 
red oak, overcup oak, burr oak, water oak, pecan, cherry, sassafras, bois 
•d'arc, blackjack, hickory, and elm. The black walnut, ash, short-leaf pine, 
and white oak are of good quality, but not very abundant. The United 
■States Forestry Bureau estimated the short-leaf pine (pinus mitis) standing 
in the county on June 30, 1880, at 483,200,000 feet, board measure. Good 
pine lumber is worth $15 per thousand feet. Ordinary fencing costs from 
;$100 to $150 per mile. Bois d'arc is used to some extent, and with success, 
lor hedges. Improved farming implements are largely used. 

Under ordinary conditions, the production, per acre, is, of cotton in the 
seed, 600 to 800 pounds; corn, 25 to 35 bushels; wheat, 10 to 12; oats, 30 
to 60; rye, 15 to 20: barley, 30 to 40; molasses, 250 gallons; sorghum 
syrup, 150 gallons; potatoes, Irish, 90 bushels; sweet, 200 to 250; hay and 
millet, 1-^ to 3 tons; and all vegetables common to the latitude are grown in 
large quantities. Peaches, apples of the early kinds, pears, tigs, plums, and 
.grapes are grown with success. The mean annual rainfall is about 45 
inches, and is generally so distributed as to insure a satisfactory yield of all 
field crops and vegetables. The rental of land is $3 to $;! an acre, or one- 
third the grain and one-fourth the cotton. Unimproved farming land is 
worth from $2 to $5 an acre, and improved farms from $5 to $10, accord- 
ing to the value of improvements, the location and quality of the land. 
There are in the county three leagues of school land, that can be bought at 
low figures, and on long time. 

The mosD valuable grass is the wire grass, which rises very early in the 
spring, is of rapid growth, and not materially injured by long and uninter- 
rupted pasturage. There are also the swamp grass and switch cane, which 
afford fine winter range. There are in the county, as assessed in ' 882, 6954 
horses and mules, 23,387 cattle, 11,963 sheep, and l(i,644 hogs. Stock are 
raised entirely on the range, and hogs are in many seasons fattened for pork 
exclusively on the mast. Work horses are worth from $40 to $90; mules, 
^70 to $100; oxen, $50 to $60 per yoke. In the local market beef is 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. HOUSTON COUNTY. 155 

worth 4 to 5 cents per pound; mutton, 4 to 6; pork, 4 to 6; bacon, 10 to> 
15; corn, 50 to 75 cents per bushel; flour, $3.25 to $4.50 per hundred 
pounds. Deer, turkeys, squirrels, rabbits, quail, plover, ducks, geese, a-, d 
prairie chickens are found in most parts of the county. In the larger 
streams, mud and channel cat, buffalo, drum, trout, suckers, and perch are- 
numerous. 

The East Line and Red River Railway runs diagonally and nearly cen- 
trally through the county, and has three stations, Sulphur Springs, Carolton, 
and Blackjack Grove. Besides Sulphur Springs, with a population of about 
2500, there are several thriving villages, with from 50 to 300 inhabitants 
each, and a good local trade. 

On Running creek, near Riley's springs, there is water power of consid- 
erable capacity, that, it is believed, could be cheaply utilized. There are 
several large steam flouring mills in the county. 

Iron ore, believed to be very rich, has been found in the southeast part of 
the county, and some coal, the value and quantity of which have not been 
ascertained by thorough exploration. There is also a ledge of hard stone r 
of which millstones of good quality were made by the early settlers, and 
which is believed to be valuable for that purpose. 

Nearly all the leading religious denominations have church buildings, 
and church conveniences are very good in all parts of the county. Eighty- 
three public free schools were organized for a scholastic population of 2801 
in 1881-2, and were taught four months in the year. 

The county has a bonded debt of about $13,000, and the county tax is 40> 
cents on the $100, and the city tax of Sulphur Springs 25 cents on the $100. 
That part of the population which is not native has been drawn, for the 
most part, from the better elements of the older States, and public sentiment 
is elevated and strongly in favor of law and order, and the laws are vigor- 
ously enforced. The average summer temperature is 85 deg., and winter 
55 deg., and there is but little sickness not common to all places and 
climates, except light malarial attacks in summer, near the streams anc* 
swamps. 



HOUSTON COUNTY. 

Houston county is bounded by the Neches river on the east, and the 
Trinity on the west. Crockett, the county seat, is 113 miles, by the Inter- 
national and Great Northern Railway, north of the city of Houston. Area, 
1176 square miles. 

Population in 1870 8,147 

Population in 1880 (forty-three and a half per cent colored). . . 16,702 



154 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,711,929 

Assessed value of taxable property in 18S2 2,320,123 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 300,377 

The general surface is diversified by low hills and more or less extended 
valleys, in about equal proportions. The Big Elkhart, Little Elkhart, 
Hurricane, Caney, Negro, White Rock, and Tantabrogue creeks flow west, 
ward, from near the central pcrtion, into the Trinity river, and the Cochino, 
Hickory, Camp, Piney, and San Pedro flow eastward into the Neches 
river. There are numerous smaller streams, and also little lakes, the streams 
being bold and never failing and well supplied with fish. Springs of pure 
freestone water are found everywhere, and wells are easily obtained. About 
one-fourth of the area is composed of small prairies, the remainder being 
covered with a dense and large growth, chiefly of loblolly pine, red oak, 
post oak, white oak, ash, hickory, walnut, mulberry, linn, elm, locust, and 
dogwood. According to the United States Census Forestry Bulletin, there 
are standing in this county 3,216,000,000 feet of merchantable loblolly pine 
(pinus tceda). Good pine lumber is sold at $9 per thousand feet. 

The prairies have generally a black, stiff, lime soil; the timbered uplands a 
light, grayish loam, and the valleys a chocolate, or dark, deep loam, all 
fairly productive, and all, except the first named, very easy of cultivation. 
About two-thirds of the area is arable, and not exceeding ten per cent of 
this is in cultivation, the farms averaging from fifty to seventy-five acres. 
In the uplands, the yield, per acre, undej favorable conditions, is, of cotton 
in the seed, 600 to 800 pounds; in the bottom lands, 800 to 1200; corn, 25 
to 35 bushels; wheat (very little grown), 10 to 12; oats. 40 to 50; sweet pota- 
toes, 250 to 300; molasses and sorghum syrup, 300 gallons; and field and gar- 
den vegetables in like proportion. Tobacco is grown for home consumption, 
and does well. Peaches, plums, pears, apples of the early kinds, straw- 
berries, raspberries, and grapes of several varieties are cultivated with 
great success. Wild grapes, from which a very palatable wine is made, 
grow in great abundance. 

Wild lands can be bought at from $1 to $5 per acre, according to quality 
and locality; tracts with a portion in cultivation, at from $3 to $6, the 
usual terms being one-third cash and the remainder in one and two years' 
time. Lands are rented at from $3 to $5 per acre, or for one-fourth of the 
cotton and one-third of other crops. 

The native grasses, the sedge and mesquite, are not very abundant, but 
the Bermuda has been introduced, and on the light, sandy lands, furnisnes 
rich and never failing pasturage. These, supplemented by the rue of the 
fields, and cotton seed in winter, enable farmers k) make stockraising profit- 
able. The hog range is exceptionally good in most parts of the county, and 
hogs are raised in great numbers at very smaH expense. Tne number of 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. HUNT COUNTY. 1^0 

live stock in the county is as follows: Horses and mules, 4735; cattle, 
16,258; sheep, 988; goats, 125; and hogs, 12,520. 

The International and Great Northern railway runs nearly centrally 
through the county from north to south, and the stations therein are 
Crockett, with a population of about 2000, and a good local trade; Lovelady, 
population 300; Grapeland, 200; Paso and Stark. 

Water power of considerable capacity is furnished by several bold creeks, 
and is largely used for running saw mills, grist mills, and cotton gins. 

There are 100 public free schools for a scholastic population of o928, and 
these are kept open for four months in the year. There are also several 
private schools in the county, the whole number of their pupils being 
about, 800. Crockett ha" an academy of high grade, with an average 
attendance of 100 pupils for- ten months in the year. 

Churches are found in every portion of the county, the Methodist, Baptist, 
Presbyterian, and Christian being the leading religious denominations. 
Law and order prevail throughout the county. The general health is good, 
the chief exception being along the river and creek bottoms, where chills 
and fever of a mild type is more or less common in summer and fall, 
especially after a wet season. 



HUNT COUNTY 

Is the sixth from the eastern line of the State in the second tier of coun- 
ties south of Red River. Greenville, the county seat, is the point of junction 
of the East Line and Red River and the Missouri Pacific Railways. Area, 
869 square miles. 

Population in 1870 10,291 

Population in 1880 (7 per cent colored) 17,230 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,380,971 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 2.870,158 

Assessed value of taxable property in 18S2 3,304,609 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 500,999 

The general surface is elevated and rolling, three-fourths being prairie, 
and the remainder covered with a forest growth consisting principally of 
post oak, bois d'arc, elm, ash, walnut, hickory, and some cedar. The bois 
d'arc, which is esteemed the most durable and the least liable to shrinkage 
of all woods, grows to a, large size, and is much used for making wagons 
*nd agricultural implements. The Sabine river and the South Sulph 
Fork of Red River both have their main sources in the county. The East 



156 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Caddo Fork, West Caddo Fork. Cow Leech Fork, and South Fork and 
their tributaries form the first named stream, and wr.ter the central, south- 
ern, and southwestern parts of the county, while the South Sulphur Fork of 
Red River and its tributaries water the northern and northeastern parts. 
There are few springs, and the water from wells is generally somewhat 
impregnated with lime, but there are many wells of pure freestone water, 
■and cisterns are in general use. 

The soils are chiefly a dark, friable loam, and a black, stiff hog-wallow 
land, and these are found in about equal proportions, the latter being 
regarded as superior in fertility. At least nine-tenths of the county is suita- 
ble for cultivation, and well adapted to the employment of improved 
agricultural implements, which are largely used. Tha yield of the various 
crops per acre, under proper tillage, is, of cotton, one-third to two-thirds of 
•a bale; corn, 25 to 35 bushels; wheat, 12; barley, 40; molasses, 300 gallons; 
hay, 1 ton; and all vegetables common to the latitude yield in proportion. 
Peaches, plums, apples, raspberries, strawberries, and figs are grown with 
success. The mean annual rainfall is about 43 inches, and is so distributed 
throughout the year as to render damaging drouths of rare occurrence. 
Unimproved farming lands are worth from $3 to $5 an acre, and improved 
farms from $10 to $20, according to the location and quality, and the value 
of improvements. There are in the county two leagues of Shelby county 
school lands, second quality, for sale at a price fixed by the county author- 
ities, probably from $2 to $4 per acre. Cultivated lands rent from $3 to 
$5 an acre. 

The latest assessment rolls (1882) credit the county with 28,210 cattle, 
11,306 horses and mules, 5484 sheep, and 14,211 hogs. Stock is raised 
almost exclusively on the range, being fed only in very severe winter 
weather, and much of it not at all, the rich soil producing an abundance of 
nutritious mesquite, sedge, and other grasses. Work horses are worth from 
$40 to $60; mules, $60 to $100; oxen, $60 a yoke. The retail market price 
of beef is 8 cents per pound; mutton, 8; bacon, 12^; corn, 50 to 75 cents 
per bushel; flour, $4 per 100 pounds. 

The Missouri Pacific Railway runs through the county from northwest to 
southeast, and the East Line and Red River Railway nearly centrally from 
east to west. Greenville, the county seat, is a town of about 2500 inhabi- 
tants, and an estimated trade of $1,500,000, and has many handsome 
business houses and private residences. There are seven other railway 
stations, all small villages, with a good local trade. There are several large 
steam flouring mills in the county, and a planing mill in Greenville. 

Free schools are provided for a scholastic population of 3119, and there 
are besides, two private schools of high grade, and several others of lower 
grade. Greenville supplements the Stat-e school fund with a special city 
tax and maintains city free schools ten months in the year for 250 pupils. 
The Baptist, Christian, Episcopal, Methodist, and Presbyterian denomina- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. JACK COUNTY. 157 

tions have church organizations in the county. Church conveniences are 
good, and attendance upon religious S3rvices is general. 

The county tax is forty cents on the one hundred dollars, and the county 
has no debt. The city tax of Greenville is twenty-five cents on the one 
hundred dollars. 

On the streams and in and near the bottoms, chills and fever occur in 
.summer to a greater or less extent, but with this exception the general 
health is at all times good. The general elevation is such that there are bu1 
few local causes for sickness. 

The dockets of the courts show that there are very few violations of law 
above the grade of ordinary misdemeanors. The law is well enforced. 



JACK COUNTY 

Is situated on the headwaters of the West Fork of the Trinity river, in th< 
the second tier of counties south of Red River. Area, 870 square miles. 

Population in 1870 691 

.Population in 1 8S0 (118 colored) 6,626 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $226,61 1 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,750,236 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 583,536 

The general surface is high, rolling prairie, traversed in some portions by 
wide valleys and deep creeks and ravines. The broad belt of wooded land 
known as the upper cross timbers, and composed chiefly of post oak and 
blackjack, runs diagonally through the county, and together with a scattered 
growth of elm, ash, pecan, and cottonwood along the streams, covers about 
one-half of the area. The timber is generally short and scrubby. 

The West Fork of Trinity river, and Jasper, Bran, East Keechi, Cannon, 
North Brushy, Flat, and Turkey creeks, and other smaller streams, distribute 
the water supply very generally over the county. The soil of the prairie 
uplands is, for the most part, black, heavy, and tenacious; of the timbered 
upland, a gray sandy; and of the valleys a dark, friable loam, easily tilled 
and very productive. The mean annual rainfall, as registered at the United 
States signal service station at Jacksboro, is 26.23 inches. The usual yield, 
per acre, in favorable seasons is, of cotton, one-third to one-half of a bale; 
corn, 25 to 30 bushels; wheat, 10 to 15; oats, 30 to 50; rye, 20; barley, 30 to 
40; millet and hay, 1-J to 2 tons; and all garden vegetables yield in like pro- 
portion. Teaches, apples of the early kinds, pears, plums, and strawberries 
are successfully grown, and blackberries and gooseberries are abundant. Or. 



158 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OP 

dinary fencing costs from $100 to $150 per mile. Farm hands are paid $12 
per month and board. Improved land rents at from $3 to $5 per acre. 
Good unimproved farming land can be bought at from $1 to $2 per acre, 
and improved farms at from $4 to $6, according to the value of the 
improvements; usual terms, one-third cash, balance on one and two years' 
time, with interest. There are about 30,000 acres of State school lands in 
the county, that can be bought for from $1 to $2 an acre, according to the 
water supply, payable in 20 annual installments, with 8 per cent interest. 
There are in the county one flouring and five grist mills, all driven by 
steam. 

The native grasses, the long and curly mesquite and the sedge, are 
luxuriant and nutritious, and stockraising is an important interest, as shown 
by the following figures, from the assessment for 1882, viz.: Horses and 
mules, 6330; cattle, 44,560; sheep, 7784; goats, 879; hogs, 9173. In severe 
winter weather stock require some feed, and do not tlmve well unless fed to 
some extent. Hogs are raised, and in many seasons fattened for pork, 
entirely on the mast. Sheep are generally free from disease, and yield an 
average annual fleece of from 3^- to 5 pounds. Good work horses are 
worth $60; mules, $100; oxen, $50 per yoke. Beef retails at from 5 to 6 
cents per pound; pork, 4 to 7; bacon, 14 to 16; corn, 50 cents to $1 per 
bushel; flour, $4 per hundred pounds. 

Wild game is not abundant, but in the larger streams there are many fish, 
such as cat, perch, black bass, buffalo, drum, and red horse. 

Jacksboro, the county seat, with a population of about 1000, is 35 miles 
north of the nearest station on the Texas and Pacific Railway, and 32 miles 
southwest of the nearest station on the Fort Worth and Denver City Rail- 
way, the two roads furnishing tolerably convenient . transportation to a 
large portion of the county. The other villages in the county are Post Oak, 
with 200; Newport, with 300; and Lick Branch, with 100 inhabitants. 

Three rich veins of excellent bituminous coal have been found in the 
county, and also indications of silver, but no thorough exploration of the 
latter has been made to determine its quantity or quality. 

The scholastic population the present year numbers 1255, for which 
public free schools have been provided. The Presbyterian, Baptist, Meth- 
odist, and Christian denominations have church organizations, and church 
conveniences are moderately good. 

The county has a small floating debt, and the county tax is 40 cents on 
the $100. 

The people are quiet, law-abiding, and orderly, and are characterized by 
more than ordinary intelligence. 

The general health of the county is excellent. According to the record 
kept by the United States army surgeon at Fort Richardson, near Jacks- 
boro, some years ago, that post ranked second in point of healthfulness of 
the military posts of the United States. 



TF^XAS BY COUNTIES. JACKSON COUNTY. l59 



JACICSON COUNTY 

Lies on the parallel of 29 dec;, north latitude, and Texana, the county 
seat, is about 50 miles north of Pass Cavallo, on the Gulf of Mexico, by 
way of Aransas bay, and the Lavaca and Navidad rivers. Area, 911 square 
miles. 

Population in 1870 2,278 

Population in 1880 (52 per cent colored) 2,723 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $797,969 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S81 1,017,620 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,338,956 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 648,171 

The general surface of the county is a nearly level prairie, sloping gently 
towards the gulf, and varied by undulations near the streams. The north- 
ern portion, comprising about one-fifth of the area, is covered, on the 
uplands, with a scattered growth of post oak and blackjack, and along the 
streams, of live oak, pin oak, burr oak, elm, wild peach, sweet bay, cotton - 
wood, and hackberry. In the southern portion the timber is confined to 
narrow belts on the banks of the water-courses. The principal streams are 
the Navidad and Lavaca rivers, Sandies, Mustang, Arenosa, and Carancahua 
creeks. The Navidad is navigable to Texana, about six miles above its 
confluence with the Lavaca, and about twenty miles above the mouth of the 
latter, and the Carancahua for about the same distance. There are beside s 
these, the Golden Rod, Brushy, and many smaller creeks, which distribute 
an abundant water supply throughout the county. Wells of good water are 
obtained in most parts of the county at a moderate depth, but cisterns are 
preferred and generally used. 

The soils are divided between a light sandy and a dark loam, both being 
easily tilled, and the latter very productive. A comparatively small area 
has been reduced to cultivation in farms averaging about 25 acres, stock- 
raising being the engrossing pursuit of the people. In ordinarily favorable 
seasons the usual yield per acre, of the behi, lands, is, of cotton, one-third to 
three-fourths of a bale; corn, 25 bushels* sugar, 1000 pounds; and molasses, 
120 gallons; sweet potatoes, 250 busneis; hay and millet, 1 to 2 tons. All 
kinds of vegetables and melons are successfully raised. The mean annual 
rainfall is 39 inches, and the seasons are usually more favorable for 
fall, winter, and spring crops than tor those maturing in midsummer. 
Unimproved lands are held at from $1 to $5 an acre, and improved farms 
at proportionably higher figures, according to the value of the improve- 
ments. Cultivated land rent3 for from $3 to $5 an acre, or for one-fourth 



160 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

of the cotton and one-third of other crops. Rail fencing costs about $180, 
and plank fencing about $400 a mile. Good pine lumber is worth $33 per 
thousand feet. The McCartney rose has been tried for hedges, with only 
moderate success. Improved implements of husbandry are used advan- 
tageously, but to only a limited extent. There are about 40 sections 
(25,600 acres) of State school lands in the county, of inferior quality, 
and without timber or water, which are held at a minimum price of 81 
per acre, on 20 years time, payable in annual installments, with 8 per cent 
interest. 

There are in the county, according to the assessment rolls of 1882, 4251 
horses and mules, 57,259 cattle, 1636 sheep, and 506S hogs. Stock is raised 
entirely on the native grasses, which are abundant and perennial. There 
are many large pastures, but much of the range is still open. The expense 
of raising horses and cattle is the interest on the capital invested in pastures 
and improvements, and 50 cents each, the cost of branding. Good work 
horses are worth $50; mules, $75; oxen, $50 per yoke. In the local mar- 
ket beef retails at 6, mutton, 10; pork, 6; and bacon, 15 cents per pound; 
corn, 50 cents to $1.25 per bushel; and flour, $4.50 to $5 per 100 pounds. 
Deer, turkeys, squirrels, prairie chickens, quail, and some few bear are the 
ioading varieties of game. In winter large numbers of water fowl are 
iound on the prairies and streams and lakes. Many varieties of both fresh 
and salt water fish abound in the lakes, rivers and bay. 

The New York, Texas and Mexican Railway runs through the county 
from east to west, and the Texas Mexican, in course of construction, is 
projected through the county. 

There are 25 public free school communities organized for 444 children 
within the scholastic age, and in addition to the State apportionment, the 
county has a free school fund of $32,000 at interest at 12 per cent. There 
are several church buildings in the county, owned by the several religious 
denominations, and in many neighborhoods the school-house is used as & 
church. 

The county has no debt, and the county tax is twenty cents on the one 
hundred dollars. 

The proximity to the gulf, and the constant gulf breeze, render the 
county healthy. Chills and fever occur in a few localities occasionally in 
summer, but the standard of health is high. 



JASPER COUNTY 

Is in Southeast Texas, and is separated from the east boundary of the 
State by the county of Newton. Jasper, the county seat, is about 80 miles 
north of the port of Sabine Pass. Area, 963 square miles. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — JASPER COUNTY. 161 

Population in 1870 4,218 

Population in 1880 (45 per cent colored) 5,779 

Asssessed value of taxable property in 1881 $607,690 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 706, 1 85 

Assessed value of live stock in 1 882 101 ,492 

The southern portion of the county is, for the most part, level, the 
remainder rolling, and often hilly, with level, alluvial lands along the 
margins of the streams, and the entire area is covered with a dense forest 
growth of pine, post oak, red oak, white oak, pin oak, hickory, ash, walnut, 
beech, magnolia, maple, holly, cypress, and many other kinds of valuable 
trees. The Forestry Bulletin of the United States Census Bureau estimates 
the amount of merchantable long-leaf pine (pinus Australis) standing in 
the county on May 31, 1880, at 2,534,400,000 feet, board measure. 

The Neches river washes the western border of the county for its entire 
length of about 75 miles, and flowing into it are Sherwood, Chalk, Cypress, 
Shawnee, Spring, Sandy, Walnut, Mill, Big, and Trout creeks. The Ange- 
lina river enters the county near its northwest corner, and flows southwest 
into the Neches, and tributary to it are Jordan, Indian, Tiger, and Beef 
creeks, and Ayish bayou. Thickety, Everett's, Big and Little Boggy, Stay- 
den, and Holmes creeks flow through the eastern part of the county into the 
Sabine river, or its larger tributaries. Many of the streams named are fed 
by unfailing springs of freestone water, and run at all seasons, and a 
number of them afford water power of large capacity, which is as yet used 
chiefly to run a limited number of small saw and grist mills and cotton 
gins. 

The soils are divided between a black waxy, a "rawhide," a light, mellow 
alluvial, and a gray sandy, on a clay foundation. Much of the land is 
inferior, and valuable chiefly for the timber, but a large part is easily tilled 
and highly productive. The uplands, under ordinarily favorable conditions, 
yield, per acre, one-third of a bale of cotton, 20 to 25 bushels of corn, 30 
of oats, and 150 of sweet potatoes, and the bottom lands frequently twice as 
much. All kinds of vegetables do well, and fruits and melons are raised in 
great abundance. The mean annual rainfall is about 45 inches. Protracted 
drouths are of rare occurrence, and, indeed, are seldom of sufficient duration 
to materially injure the crops. Unimproved lands, suitable for farms, are 
held at from 75 cents to $4 per acre, and improved tracts at from two to 
three times these figures. Land in cultivation usually rents at about $3 per 
acre. Rail fencing costs about $90 to $100 a mile. Hedges are but little 
grown. Pine lumber is worth $10 per thousand feet. 

The principal native grass is the sedge, which is abundant. Stock, in 
severe winter v eather, requires some feed, but much of it lives the year 
round on the open range. Though not, strictly speaking, a stock County, 



162 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

most farmers raise sufficient for their own use, and some a surplus for 
market. Hogs are raised, and in many seasons fattened, entirely on the 
mast of the forests. The tax rolls of 1882 credit the county with 1384 
horses and mules, 8578 cattle, 6661 hogs, and 2319 sheep. Work horses 
are worth from $40 to $90; mules, $80 to $120; oxen, $45 to $60 per yoke. 
Beef is worth, at retail, 4 to 6 cents; mutton, 7 to 8; pork, 5 to 6; bacon, 
10-£ to 14; corn, 50 to 75 cents per bushel; flour, $8.50 to $10 per barrel. 
Large and small game and all kinds of fresh water fish are abundant. 

The Neches, Red River and Texas Railway is projected to run centrally 
east to west through the county, and form a junction at Goodrich with th 
Houston, East and West Texas Railway. The Sabine Pass and Texas 
Northern Railway, from Marshall to Sabine Pass, is under construction, 
and is projected to run parallel with and near the eastern border of the 
county, and the line not being definitely fixed upon, it is believed it 
may run nearly centrally through the county. The Neches river is navi- 
gable for steamboats at all seasons to Weis's Bluff, in the southwest corner 
of the county, and for several months in the year to Bevilport, on the 
Angelina river, in the northwest corner. For the current scholastic year 
the State free school fund is apportioned to a scholastic population of 
1125, for which number free schools are provided, and there is a high 
school at Jasper, the county seat. The Methodist and Baptist denomina- 
tions are numerically the leading religious denominations, and have churches 
in nearly every neighborhood. No intoxicating liquors are sold in the 
county. Prohibition, by a vote of the people under the local option law, has 
been in force for a number of years, and is so sustained by public sentiment 
that all attempts to defeat it have proved unsuccessful. The beneficial 
effects of the law are claimed to be exhibited in the prosperous condition of 
the county, and the small amount of crime and violence indicated by the 
dockets of the courts. The county has a small floating debt, and levies a 
tax of one-half of one per cent on taxable values. On the streams and in 
and near the swamp?, malarial attacks in summer and autumn are in some 
years more or less prevalent, but the great abundance and purity of the 
water, the high, rolling surface, and the pine forests, combine to render the 
general health of the county good. 



JEFFERSON COUNTY 

Lies on the gulf coast in the southeastern corner of the State, and em- 
braces the port of Sabine Pass. Area, 1032 square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,906 

Population in 1880 (one-third colored) 3,489 

Population in 1882 (estimated) 5,500 



TEXAS 2Y COUNTIES. — JEFFERSON COUNTY. 163 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $629, 118 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,492,772 

Assessed value of taxable property in 18S2 1,968,059 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 42 1,9 1 8 

All the southern part of the county is a nearly level gulf plain, almost 
entirely devoid of timber, and carpeted with rich luxuriant grasses, which 
afford fine pasturage for large numbers of cattle and horses. Near Sabine 
Pass are some good farming lands, the soil being a rich, mellow loam, and 
producing not only short staple cotton, and vegetables and melons of all 
kinds, but Sea Island cotton, and oranges and figs of fine quality. The 
northern portion of the county, and especially along the Neches river, is 
covered more or less densely with all the varieties of oak (except live oak), 
hickory, ash, cypress, pine, and many other kinds of valuable timber. Ac- 
cording to the Forestry Bulletin, issued by the United States Census Bureau 
in 1880, there were standing at that date in the county, 288,000,000 feet r 
board measure, of loblolly pine (pinus tceda). In this timbered portion 
there is a considerable area of productive farming lands, and while agricul- 
ture, as a regular business, is pursued by a very small per cent of the 
population, it is carried on sufficiently to show that corn, cotton, sugar cane, 
rice, tobacco, potatoes, melons, and all garden vegetables are successful 
crops, and can be profitably grown. Both the soil and climate are well 
adapted to fruits, and peaches, figs, and oranges yield fruit of large size and 
fine flavor. Many varieties of wild grapes are indigenous to the soil, and 
cultivated grapes bear largely. Some of the earlier varieties of apples, 
where proper care and cultivation have been bestowed on them, have done 
fairly well. The mean annual rainfall is about 45 inches, and the seasons 
are generally favorable for diversified farming. Unimproved fanning lands 
can be bought for from $1 to $5 per acre, and pasture lands for from 50 
cents to $1. Tracts with a portion in cultivation and the necessary houses 
are held at $10 to $12 per acre, and farms are usually rented for a share 
of the crops. 

The milling and stock interests are the leading and most profitable indus- 
tries of the county. From about ten miles above Beaumont, the county 
seat, in the northern part of the county, the heavy pine forests extend for 
120 miles northward, and at the last named place the manufacture of lum- 
ber and shingles has, of late years, assumed large proportions. Five saw 
mills at that point turn out daily about 200,000 feet of lumber, three shingle 
mills about 250,000 shingles, and three planing mills about 73,000 feet of 
dressed lumber. The cypress and pine logs for these mills are rafted or 
floated loose down the Neches river and its tributaries. 

Beaumont is situated on the Neches river, by which and Sabine lake it has 
tide-water navigation to Sabine Pass. It is 83 miles, by the line of the 
Texas and New Orleans Railway, east of the city of Houston, and is the 



164 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

point of intersection of that road with the Sabine and East Texas Railway, 
extending soutn to Sabine Pass, 30 miles, and completed northward about 
75 miles, to the southern line of Angelina county. This road is being cpn- 
tructed rapidly through the heart of the pine forest region of Eastern 
Texas. Owing to its increased railway facilities, and the consequent exten- 
sion of its milling interests, within the past two years Beaumont has grown 
raoidly, both in trade and population, the latter being estimated in 1882, at 
3500. It is the chief trading point of a large and thriving section of coun- 
try. Nearly every branch of business is represented, and the place presents 
many of the features of a progressive little city. 

The town of Sabine Pass is located on an arm of the Gulf of Mexico, 
aoout six miles long, extending to Sabine lake, and affording a safe, deep, 
and spacious harbor. The channel across the bar at the entrance to the 
port was originally from 6 to 7 feet in depth. The work of deepening this 
channel, which was begun by the United States government in 1875, has 
been so far successful that a depth of 12 feet, at mean low tide, has been 
obtained and is maintained, and it is confidently believed a greater depth is 
only a question of a short time. The bar being composed of soft blue mud, 
steam vessels of somewhat more that !2 feet draft are now able to enter the 
harbor without difficulty. Besides the Sabine and East Texas Railway, 
already completed, as stated, 105 miles, and being rapidly extended north- 
ward, the Sabine and Northern Railway, projected to run from Marshall to 
Sabine Pass, is under construction, with good prospects of early completion, 
and two or more other railways are chartered, with Sabine Pass as their 
objective point. With a secure harbor, deep water over the bar, and rail- 
way communication established with the immense pine forests and agricul- 
tural resources of Eastern Texas, there seems to be no reason to doubt that 
Sabine Pass, at present a village of only a few hundred inhabitants, will 
take rank at an early day as a gulf port of large commercial importance. 

According to the assessment rolls of 1S82, there are in the county 47,358 
cattle, 5912 horses and mules, 1110 sheep, and 2324 hogs. All kinds of 
stock are raised entirely on the native grasses on the open range or in 
enclosed pastures, and fat marketable cattle are to be found in the coast 
marshes and prairies in mid-winter. Owing to the excellent pasturage and 
the proximity to the markets of New Orleans, Galveston and, Houston, the 
business of stockraising in this county is more than ordinarily profitable. 

For a scholastic population of 582, seventeen public free schools were 
organized for the scholastic year ending August 31, 1882. and were taught 
for three months of the year, with an average daily attendance of 70 per 
cent. There are also a number of private schools in the county of medium 
grade. There are five churches in Beaumont, each with a considerable 
membership, and in other portions of the county church conveniences are 
moderately good. 

The unobstructed and almost incessant gulf breeze renders four-fifths 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. JOHNSON COUNTY. 165 

of the county very healthy. In some few localities, on or near the Neches 
river, chills and fever are prevalent in some seasons to a greater or less 
extent, but these attacks are usually of mild type and easily controlled by 
simple home treatment. 



JOHNSON COUNTY. 

With its southwest corner resting on the Brazos river, this county lies on 
the parallel of 30 deg. 20 min. north latitude. Cleburne, the county seat, is 
317 miles northwest of the port of Galveston, by the line of the Gulf, 
Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. Area, 697 square miles. 

Population in 1870 4,923 

Population in 1880 17,911 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,888,955 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 3,632,345 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 4,875,128 

Assessed value of live stock in 18S2 585,975 

Somewhat more than half the area is prairie, and a belt of woodland, from 
four to twelve miles wide, consisting mainly of the low-growing, heavy- 
topped post oak, and known as the lower cross-timbers, divides the county 
north-northeast and south-southwest into nearly equal parts. The eastern 
portion is gently undulating, the central generally level, but marked here 
and there by alternate valleys and swells, and the western more rolling and 
more uneven, rising occasionally into hills of considerable elevation. Along 
the streams pecan, hackberry, and elm, and in the western part cedar, are 
the principal varieties of timber. The Brazos river touches its southwest 
corner, and Noland's river, a swift, deep stream, rising in the extreme 
northwest, and flowing southeastwardly, passes out near the centre of its 
south line. Besides these rivers, Mountain, Willow, Caddo, Mitchell's, Vil- 
lage, and Walnut creeks and many smaller streams flow through the county 
at convenient distances. Most of these minor water-courses cease to run in 
times of protracted drouth, but hold unfailing pools of water in their beds. 
Good wells are easily obtained, and there are a number of bold, clear, cold 
springs, the water of two of which, in the western part of the county, are 
strongly impregnated with white sulphur. The mean annual rainfall is 
34 inches, and is usually distributed with sufficient regularity through the 
winter, spring, and early summer months, but is sometimes scant in mid- 
summer, though damaging drouths rarely occur. About nine-tenths of the 
area is suitable for cultivation, and presents a variety of soils. The section 
east of the cross-timbers has a very productive, black waxy soil; the timbered 



166 



EESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



uplands, as a rule, a gray loam; and the western portion, broken and often 
hilly, a black, friable soil, frequently tinged with red, and prized for ita 
wheat producing qualities. Under proper tillage, the usual yield, per acre, 
is from 800 to 1200 pounds of cotton in the seed; of corn, 30 to 40 bushels, 
though 60 bushels are often made; wheat, 10 to 20; oats, 40 to 60. Garden 
vegetables, potatoes, Irish and sweet, and all kinds of melons, are success- 
fully raised. Most kinds of fruit do well, but the soil and climate seem 
peculiarly adapted to the grape and peach. The pecan trees yield largely, 
and blackberries and dewberries grow spontaneously and yield abundantly. 
Good farming land, unimproved, sells at from $3 to $6 per acre. Large 
tracts, with part in cultivation, and houses, wells, etc., are held at from $6 
to $12 per acre, and small improved tracts of from 80 to 100 acres, from $10 
to $15. Immediately around the town of Cleburne and adjoining the corpo- 
ration, lands are held at figures largely in excess of these. The rental of 
cultivated land varies from $3 to $4 per acre, but the most usual terms of 
rent are one-fourth the cotton and one-third of the corn and other products- 
Farm labor is in demand at from $12 to $15 per month, with board, but 
farmers prefer to give a share of the crop. 

According to the assessment rolls of 1882, there were in the county 
27,049 cattle, 11,180 horses and mules, 3995 sheep, and 11,388 hogs. The 
grazing lands are, to a considerable extent, in enclosed pastures, and the 
several varieties of mesquite and the sedge grass furnish excellent and abun- 
dant pasturage the year round. Stockraising on the open range, as a distinct 
industry, is but little carried on, but is confined to pastures, and generally 
combined with agriculture. 

The Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway passes centrally through the 
county from south to north, with three, stations, , Cleburne, Blum, and 
Caddo Peak. Cleburne, the county seat, has a population of about 3000, a 
court house in course of construction to cost $40,000, an opera house, a 
large number of substantial business houses, two strong banks, and a large 
and increasing trade. It is beautifully located, and is surrounded by a very 
fertile country, rapidly increasing in population. The Missouri Pacific 
Railway, passing through the county to the east of the above named road in 
a southeasterly direction, has three stations, Alvarado, Grandview, and 
Burleson. Alvarado has about 700 and Grandview about 400 inhabitants, 
and both are trading points for growing communities. The Chicago, Texas 
and Mexican Railway, completed from the city of Dallas to Cleburne, passes 
nearly centrally through the eastern half of the county, the three roads 
named having 75 miles of track within its limits. 

In all the towns there are good private schools, and public free schools 
are in operation in every community. The scholastic population of the 
county, not including Cleburne, is 2825, of which there is an average daily 
attendance in the free schools of about 70 per cent. The schools in Cleburne, 
in which 378 children are enrolled, are managed by the city authorities, the 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — JONES COUNTY. 167 

State apportionment being supplemented by a special city tax, and continue 
ten months in the year. The county is out of debt, and has about $10,000 
in the county treasury. Church conveniences are good, and attendance on 
religious services general. The Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Christian, 
and Episcopal denominations have churches in the county, and are numer- 
ically strong in the order named. The character of the people for law and 
order is irreproachable. There are few or no local causes of malaria, 
except along the main water-courses, and the general health of the county is 
very good. 



JONES COUNTY. 

This county is in Northwest Texas, in west longitude 99 deg. 50 min., 
and Jones City, the county seat, is 155 miles due west of the city of Fort 
Worth. Area, 900 square miles. 

Population in 1880 (4 colored) 546 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $63,161 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 701,524 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 157,979 

The county, organized in 1881, is almost exclusively devoted to stock- 
raising. The general surface is prairie, in some parts gently undulating, 
and in others traversed by broad valleys, and about one-half the area is 
covered with a scattering growth of small mesquite trees. The Clear Fork 
of the Brazos, a constantly running stream, flows through the county from 
southwest to northeast, and is bordered by a narrow belt of elm, hackberry, 
Cottonwood, and mulberry timber, while parallel with it, for its entire length 
in the county, is a range of sand ridges, from 5 to 7 miles wide, covered 
with scrubby post oak, shin oak, and blackjack, and known as the " Shin- 
nery." California, Mulberry, Elm, Paint, Bitter, Cottonwood, and other 
small creeks, are running streams for only a portion of the year, but most of 
them hokrwater in pools in their beds in the dryest seasons. There are 
many springs flowing from the bluffs of the Clear Fork of the Brazos, and 
wells are obtained near the streams at a shallow depth, but underground 
cisterns are preferred for drinking water, and are much used. The mean 
annual rainfall, as registered at the United States signal service station at 
Fort Griffin, in the adjoining county of Shackelford, is 24.57 inches, and is 
usually most abundant in May and June and in the winter months. It is 
believed that much of the bottom lands of the Clear Fork of the Brazos 
could be irrigated by means of wind mills at a moderate expense. 



168 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



But little farming has been done in the county, but so far as the produc- 
tiveness of the soil has been tested it has been found to return a large yield. 
It is varied by a black, a red, and a chocolate loam, and a stiff and tenacious 
or friable lime soil. Satisfactory crops of corn, cotton, oats, sorghum, 
Irish and sweet potatoes, millet, and watermelons have been secured in 
favorable seasons, the latter weighing, in some instances, of the crop of 
1881, as high as 75 pounds each. There is but little cultivated land for 
sale. For wild upland, without water on it, the price is $1, and for river 
or creek lands, $2 to $3 per acre. River land is a deep, mellow soil, and 
easily tilled. All fencing is done with wire,, at a cost of about $250 a mile. 
Land rents for one-third of the grain, or $3 per acre. There are in the 
county 112 sections of asylum land, and a large amount of both State and 
county school lands, which can be bought for from $1 to $2 per acre, on 
from 10 to 20 years time, in installments, at 8 per cent interest. 

The curly and running mesquite, and the gamma or buffalo grass, are the 
principal native kinds, and are very abundant and nutritious. Live stock 
keep in good condition on the open range the year round, and, with the 
exception of work and riding stock, is never fed. Hogs are raised exclu- 
sively, and are generally fattened, on the mast without the use of grain. 
Cattle are the most valuable stock, the assessment rolls of 1882 showing 
that there are in the county 17,049 cattle, 1175 sheep, 896 horses and mules, 
and 834 hogs. Beef retails at from 4 to 6 cents per pound; mutton, 5 to 7; 
pork, 5 to 8; bacon, 13 to 15; and corn, $1 to $1.25 per bushel. There are 
in the county a considerable number of antelope, deer, and turkeys, and 
a few bear. Most of the common varieties of fish are numerous in the 
Clear Fork of the Brazos. 

The Texas and Pacific Railway runs near and almost parallel with the 
southern line of the county for thirty miles. Abilene, in Taylor county, 
a station on that road, being the chief shipping point. 

Indications of coal in large quantities are found, but no mining has as 
yet been done. The county is within the narrow belt of territory which 
eminent geologists have declared, after careful explorations, contains unmis- 
takable evidence of true coal formation. Competent judges express the 
opinion that the water power of the Brazos can be cheaply utilized for 
manufacturing purposes. 

There is a scholastic population of 98, for which two public free schools 
and one piivate school are provided. Religious services are held by the 
Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian denominations, more or less regularly, 
at three places in the county, and church conveniences are being increased. 
No intoxicating liquors are sold in the county, the temperance sentiment 
being strong enough to prohibit its sale by a vote of the people under the 
local option law. 

The county has no debt, and the county tax is seventy-five cents on the 
one hundred dollars. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. KARNES COUNTY. 169 

The water of the Clear Fork of the Brazos is said, by those who have 
tested it, to possess valuable medicinal properties. The general elevation is 
high, the drainage good, and the air pure and dry. 



KARNES COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 28 deg. 50 rain., and west longitude 97 deg. 50 
min., and Helena, the county seat, is about 35 miles south of west of Cuero 
the present inland terminus of the Gulf, West Texas and Pacific Railway, 
whose initial terminus is the port of Indianola. Area, 735 square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,705 

Population in 1880 (490 colored) 3,270 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $528,092 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,001,073 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,239,130 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 51 1,099 

High, rolling prairies, covered, for the most part, with scattered clumps 
of mesquite bushes, and traversed by numerous streams, along the course of 
which is a more or less heavy and dense growth of timber, fairly present 
the general appearance of the county. About one-tenth of the area is 
wooded, the timber being generally of a medium size, but much of it on the 
streams large, and consisting principally of live oak, water oak, post oak, 
pecan, hickory, and blackjack. The county is watered by the San Antonio 
river and Cibolo creek, both bold, perpetual streams, and by Ecleto, Marce- 
linas, and Medio creeks, which cease to run in very long dry seasons, but 
never go dry, water being always held in deep pools in their beds. One- 
tenth of the area is well adapted to purposes of agriculture, but a compara- 
tively small part is yet reduced to cultivation. 

The soils are divided between black hog-wallow on the prairies, and 
dark, or chocolate-colored, alluvial sandy land along the streams. All 
these soils, so far as tested, have been found to yield fairly good crops of 
corn, cotton, oats, rye, barley, millet, and all kinds of vegetables common to 
the latitude. The mean annual rainfall is about 35 inches, and precipitation 
is usually most abundant in fall, winter, and spring, being often too scant 
in summer for late crops. The farming in the county is carried on in a 
small way, and almost exclusively by the foreign population, consisting of 
Germans and Poles, mainly the latter, of whom there are about six hundred 
in the county. The larger part of the county is enclosed in pastures, and 
nearly the entire surface is carpeted with mesquite, sedge, and Bermuda 



170 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

grasses, which are relatively abundant in the order named. The business 
of stockraising is systematically conducted, and as stock receive no feed, in 
winter, but keep in good condition on the range the year round, it is highly 
profitable. The assessment rolls of 1882 credit the county with 7961 horses 
and mules, 37,115 cattle, 21,461 sheep, 1273 goats, and 2898 hogs. Sheep 
are generally exempt from disease, and the average weight of fleece is five 
pounds. Work horses are worth from $30 to $50; mules, $<i0 to $60; 
oxen, $50 per yoke. Beef retails at from 6 to 7 cents; mutton, 4 to 5; 
pork, 8; bacon, 12-£ to 15; corn, 50 cents to $1 per bushel; flour, $10 to 
$12 per barrel. Deer, turkeys, ducks and auail are abundant, and catfish, 
buffalo, and perch are numerous in the San Antonio river and Cibolo creek. 
There are a number of valuable mill sites ana large water power on the San 
Antonio river, but no mills have as yet been erected. One mill site on that 
stream is valued by its owner at $30,000. There are three churches in the 
county, two Catholic, and one union. Twelve free schools were organized 
and taught four and a quarter months in 1881-2 for a scholastic population of 
454, and there is also a good private school at Helena, with about 60 pupils. 

The county debt is about $2000, and the county tax 37-^ cents on 
the $100. There is little or no improved land for sale, and wild land is 
valuable in proportion to its water supply, varying from $1 to $2 per acre. 
Helena, the county seat, has about 500 inhabitants, and six stores, one 
church, one school house, and a substantial stone court house; Parra Maria 
has about 200 inhabitants; St. Joseph, 150; Riddleville, 100; Daileyville, 50. 

The county has been long organized (1854), the courts for the administra- 
tion of justice well established, and the population is orderly and law- 
abiding. Being largely open prairie, and only 75 miles from the gulf coast, 
the county is swept almost continually by the sea breeze, ana tnere being no 
swamps, or other causes of malaria, the standard of neaitn is high. 



KAUFMAN COUNTY 

Lies adjoining and east of the county of Dallas, and the county seat is 

314 miles by railway north-northwest of the port of Galveston. Area, 832 
square miles. 

Population in 1870 6,895 

Population in 1880 (12 3-4 per cent colored) 15,448 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,040,391 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 3,956.919 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1SS2 4,355,747 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 , 614,370 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. KAUFMAN COUNTY. 171 

The general surface is slightly rolling prairie, interspersed, to the extent 
of about one-third the entire area, with forests composed principally of post 
oak, black oak, red oak, live oak, burr oak, hickory, Dois d'arc, pecan, elm, 
and blackjack. About two-thirds of the county is very productive farming 
land, and the leading varieties of soils, which exist in nearly equal pro- 
portions, are a black, tenacious lime land, a dark loam, red sandy, and gray " 
sandy. The East Fork of the Trinity river, and Cedar, King, and Big 
Brushy creeks, and many smaller streams, distribute an unfailing water 
supply generally throughout the county. There are also a number of 
artesian wells which flow in large streams, and many tanks or artificial lakes 
which hold water the year round. Cistern water is also much used for 
drinking purposes. The county is in the heart of the wheat region of the 
State, but is well adapted to diversified farming. Cotton produces ordi- 
narily, per acre, 600 to 1000 pounds in the seed; corn, 25 to 40 bushels; 
wheat, 12 to 18; oats, 40 to 60; barley, 30 to 50; sorghum syrup, 100 to 
150 gallons; millet and hay, l-£ to 2 tons. All vegetables common to 
the latitude yield in like proportion, with proper cultivation. Peaches 
apples of the early varieties, and pears are successfully grown on the sandy 
lands. Improved implements of husbandry, for breaking especially, as well 
as for cultivation and harvesting, are largely used. Wild land of good 
quality is worth from $2.50 to $5 per acre, and improved farms from $8 to 
$15, according to location and value of improvements. Land rents usually 
for about $4 an acre, or one-third the grain and one- fourth the cotton. 
Ordinary fencing costs about $200 a mile. Bois d'arc hedges are used to a 
considerable extent. Good pine lumber is worth about $20 per thousand. 

The native grasses are very valuable both for pasturage and hay, and 
stock is raised almost entirely on the range, but feeding to a greater or less 
extent in winter is found to be of great benefit. There are a number of large 
pastures and stock farms, and though much of the range is still open, it is 
being rapidly enclosed for farms, and the county is becoming mainly an 
agricultural one. The latest assessment rolls show in the county 9707 
horses and mules, 33,848 cattle, 4878 sheep, 9044 hogs. The latter are, 
in most seasons, fattened entirely on the mast, and are fed on grain only a 
short time before being butchered. Work horses are worth from $40 tc 
$60; mules, $50 to $100; oxen, $50 a yoke. Beef retails at from 5 to 6 
cents per pound; mutton, 6 to 7; pork, 6 to 8; bacon, 12-| to 15; corn, 50 
to 75 cents per bushel; flour, $3 to $4 per 100 pounds. There are a few 
bear, deer, and turkeys, many prairie chickens and quail, and several 
varieties of small fish are numerous in the larger streams. 

The Texas and Pacific Railway runs through the county from east tc 
west, and has four stations, viz: Elmo. Terrell (population 2500), Forney 
(population 800), and Lawrence. The Texas Trunk Line runs through the 
county to Kaufman, the county seat, from the northwest, and has four 
stations, viz: Crandleville, Dougherty, Kaufman (population about 1000), 



172 KESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OP 

and Kemp. The northeast extension of the Houston and Texas Centra) 
Railway runs to Terrell, on the Texas and Pacific Railway. Trade flow* 
principally to St. Louis, Galveston and New Orleans. 

There is one wagon factory run by steam power, and a number of steam 
flouring mills in the county; also two door and sash factories, one tanyard, 
one cigar factory, and three manufactories of saddlery. There is also a 
manufactory of yarn and cotton goods at Terrell, which runs a large number 
of spindles. 

Public free schools, with a fair average attendance, are provided for a 
scholastic population of 2531, and there are, besides, several private schools 
of high grade, which are well sustained. 

The Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, Northern and Southern, 
Presbyterian, Baptist, Christian, Lutheran, and Swedenborgian denomina- 
tions have church organizations, and in all parts of the county church 
conveniences are unusually good. The county tax is twenty cents on the 
one hundred dollars, and there is a cash balance in the treasury. 

Intelligence and enterprise characterize the population, and the laws are 
vigorously enforced. The general health is good at all seasons. On and 
near the streams, in summer, malarial sickness sometimes occurs to a greater 
or less extent, but yields readily to treatment 



KENDALL COUNTY. 

This county is in Western Texas, in north latitude 30 deg., and Boerne, 
the county seat, is 30 miles east of north of the city of San Antonio. Area, 
678 square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,536 

Population in 1880 (6£ per cent colored) 2,763 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $330,776 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 741,371 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 . . . 908,623 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 216,701 

The general surface is broken, valleys and lofty hills alternating, the 
latter in some portions assuming the proportions of mountains. About one- 
third of the area is composed of fertile valleys, while the elevated land is 
well adapted to grazing purposes. 

A scattered scrubby growth of live oak, post oak, blackjack, and some 
black walnut, cedar, and elm cover about one-third of the surface. The 
Guadalupe and the Cibolo rivers, both bold, perpetual streams, together 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — KENDALL COUNTY. 173 

with the Minger, Balcones, Frederick's, Wasp, Salinas, Sister's, Joshua, 
and many smaller creeks afford a convenient supply of water at all seasons. 
There are some springs, but wells of drinMng water are easily obtained at a 
depth of from 20 to 40 feet, and are mainly used. The mean annual rain- 
fall is 30.85 inches, but is not so distributed as always to insure late summer 
crops, which are in some seasons injured by drouth. The soil of the valleys 
is a rich, black loam, and in ordinary seasons produces, per acre, of cotton 
in the seed, from 600 to 800 pounds; corn, 25 to 30 bushels; wheat, 10 to 
15; oats, 40 to 60; rye, 15 to 25; barley, 40 to 60; sorghum syrup, 200 gal- 
lons; Irish potatoes, 80 bushels; sweet potatoes, 200; hay and millet, 1 to 2 
tons; and all vegetables common to the latitude grow well. Peaches, 
plums, strawberries, and raspberries are successfully raised. The native 
mustang grape grows in large quantities, from which a good table wine is 
manufactured. Cultivators, reapers, and threshers are much used. Good 
pine lumber is worth $25 per thousand feet, and good cedar rails for 
fencing, $5 a hundred. Wild land, suitable for farms, is worth from 50 
cents to $1 per acre, and improved tracts from $2.50 to $10; rental value 
$*8, or one-third of the grain, and one-fourth of the cotton. There is a consid- 
erable quantity of State and county school lands in the county that are held 
at $1 to $2 per acre, payable in 20 yearly installments, with 8 per cent 
interest. Native grasses furnish nutritious pasturage the year round, r.nd 
stock requires no feeding in winter. The wages of herdsmen constitute the 
chief expense in stockraising, and that is very small, as stock need but 
little attention. The live stock in the county, according to the assessment 
of 1882, consists of 3590 horses and mules, 12,099 cattle, 26,710 sheep, 1215 
goats, and 1658 hogs. Sheep are generally healthy, and common Mexican 
sheep yield from 2 to 3 pounds of wool, and Merinos from 4 to 6 pounds 
annually. Work horses are worth from $25 to $45; mules, $60 to $90; 
oxen, $40 per yoke. Beef retails at 6 cents per pound; mutton, 10; pork, 
6; bacon, 15; corn, 75 cents to $1 per bushel; flour, $7 to $10 per barrel. 
Game is not abundant, but there are some bear, turkeys, deer, and ducks. 
Perch, trout, and catfish are numerous in the larger streams. 

There is one steam lumber and planing mill and wagon shop, and on the 
Cibolo river are one saw mill, two flouring mills, and five cotton gins, 
all driven by water power. The Guadalupe has also water power of very 
large capacity, but it is utilized to only a small extent. 

There are surface indications of the presence of valuable iron ore and 
coal, and competent judges express the opinion that the mineral wealth of 
the county is great, but no mining has been done, or thorough exploration 
made. 

The scholastic population is 543, and the number of public free schools 
reasonably sufficient for the average attendance, which is about 70 per cent. 
There is a Methodist, a Roman Catholic, and an Episcopal church at the 
county seat, and religious services are more or less regularly held in the 



174 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

school houses in most neighborhoods. There are two towns in the county, 
Boerne and Comfort, the former with about 500 inhabitants, the latter 200. 
both 1 "gely composed of Germans. The county has a small floating debt, 
and the county tax is 40 cents on the $100. 

Boerne is a noted health resort, especially for those suffering with lung 
diseases. About a mile from the town is a mineral spring, the waters of 
whicli are believed to possess very valuable medicinal properties, being 
strongly impregnated with iron and magnesia. A large hotel is kept open 
at ail seasons, and the water, the pure and dry atmosphere, and attractive 
scenery draw many visitors, especially from more northerly parts of the 
United States. 



KERR COUNTY 

Is in "Western Texas, on the headwaters of the G-uadalnpp river, and 
Kerrville, the county seat, is 65 miles northwest of the city ot San Antonio. 
Area, 1188 square miles. 

Population in 1870 1.042 

Population in 1880 (93 colored) 2,168 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S70 $214,375 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 635,362 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 84 1,535 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 291,077 

Its general surface has an altitude of 1650 feet above the level of the sea, 
and is diversified by rugged hills and fertile valleys. There are no prairies, 
and the hillsides are dotted with scrubby live oak, post oak, cypress, pecan, 
cedar, and other trees, all of which are taller and more abundant on the 
streams. Thirty miles north of Kerrville there is a large cedar brake con- 
taining much valuable timber, but the limestone, which is plentiful and easily 
quarried, is most used in the construction of both houses and fences. The 
Guadalupe river, an unfailing stream, rising in the western portion, flows 
east and then southeast, making a distance of full 4 miles through the 
county, and with Johnson, Indian, Bear, Turtle, and Verde creeks, and 
numberless spring branches, supplies abundant and convenient water for 
stock and general purposes. Bold springs of pure freestone water are found 
everywhere. During the winter of 1878-9, the coldest for many years, the 
mean minimum temperature was 45 deg., and during the summer of 1879, 
not an exceptional year, the mean maximum temperature was 87 deg., the 
mean annual temperature being 66 deg. The rainfall in that year was 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. KERR COUNTY. 175 

13.88 inches, and according to the register kept by Dr. Peterson, of tha 
town of Comfort, the fall was greatest in the months of April, May, 
June, August and September. During the last six years, however, the 
mean annual rainfall has been about 29 inches. 

There is little variety in the tillable soils, which are mostly confined to 
the river bottoms and valleys of other streams, and are a dark, deep alluvial 
and very productive. The hills, by reason of their irregular and rocky 
surfaces, are unfitted for agriculture, but afford most excellent pasturage 
for stock of all kinds, notably for sheep and goats. The valleys pro luce, 
under favorable conditions, per acre, 500 to 700 pounds of cotton in the 
seed, 20 to 25 bushels of corn, 12 of wheat, 45 of oats. Late spring and 
summer vegetables are not a certain crop. Several varieties of fruit do well, 
and pecan nuts are plentiful. Unimproved lands sell at from 85 cents to 
SI. 50 per acre. There are three leagues of county school lands, mostly 
pasture lands, which are held at $1 and $2 per acre. Good farms, with 15 
to 20 per cent cleared and in cultivation, can be bought at $5 per acre. 
Cultivated land, with houses for tenants, rents usually for $3 per acre, but 
the share system is generally preferred. Farm hands are in demand, and 
from $15 to $20 per month, with board, is paid. 

The tax rolls of 1882 show in the county 15,228 cattle, 2573 horses and 
mules, 27,572 sheep, 4160 goats, and 3299 hogs. There is a little sedge 
grass, but the several varieties of mesquite, all succulent and nutritious, 
largely predominate and afford rich pasturage the year round. 

Kerrville, the county seat, with 200 inhabitants, has a trade of $25,000, 
and Centre Point, with about the same population, has a trade of $20,000. 
A limited number of gins and flouring mills, run by water power, consti- 
tute the manufactories. The unapplied water power of the Guadalupe and 
other streams is believed to be sufficient to run the heaviest machinery, and 
valuable mill sites can be bought at low figures. 

For a scholastic population of 516, there are ten public free schools. 
There are no church buildings but religious services are held weekly by 
some one of the Christian denominations in Kerrville, and at irregular 
periods in other places in the county. The people are law-abiding, and life 
and property are well protected. 

The county is noted for its pure mountain air and general salubrity, and 
is much resorted to by invalids, especially those suffering from lung 
diseases. 



176 EES URCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OE 



KIMBLE COUNTY 

Is in north latitude 30 deg. 30 min., and west longitude 99 deg. 40 min., 
and Junction City, the county seat, is about 120 miles north of west of the 
city of Austin, and about 110 miles northwest of the city of San Antonio. 
Area, 1302 square miles. 

Population in 1870 7° 

Population in 1880 (8 colored) 1,343 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $461,449 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,189,866 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 472,871 

Notwithstanding that about three-fourths of the area is more or less 
densely timbered, almost the entire surface is carpeted with a luxuriant 
growth of mesquite and sedge grass, which affords good pasturage the year 
round. The soil is principally a light chocolate loam, and, especially in the 
valleys, is believed to be very productive, but not enough farming has been 
done to fairly test its quality. Wheat and oats have been successfully 
grown to a limited extent, and in favorable seasons corn and sweet potatoes 
and many kinds of vegetables yield abundantly. 

The chief kinds of timber are pecan, live oak, and walnut, near the 
streams; and live oak, shin oak, and cedar on the uplands. The supply for 
fuel and fencing is ample, and for building purposes moderately good. 
The North and South Llano rivers unit 3 near the centre of the county, 
forming the bold, deep, perpetual main Llano river, which flows in a north- 
east direction, and has for its tributaries, in several parts of the county, 
Big and Little Saline, Read, Gentry's, Cedar, Bear, and Johnson's creeks, 
and James' river. There are numerous bold springs, from which an 
ample and convenient supply of water for domestic purposes is obtained. 
The mean annual rainfall, as registered at the United States signal office at 
Mason, 36 miles northwest of Junction City, is 24.90 inches, but it is not 
usually so distributed as to insure spring and summer crops, for which 
irrigation is necessary, and could be cheaply obtained on many of the 
streams. Farming lands have as yet no quotable market value, but grazing 
lands are worth from 25 cents to $1 per acre. Cedar fencing costs about 
$150 a mile; sawed lumber is worth from $40 to $50 per thousand feet. 

The assessment rolls for 1882 give the number of stock as follows: 
32,512 cattle, 2475 horses and mules, 32,179 sheep, 4600 goats, and 2761 
hogs. Stock is never fed, and the only expense of raising it is the hire of 
herdsmen, at from $12 to $15 a month and their board. Hogs are raised 
and fattened entirely on the mast. Sheep are healthy, and produce an 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — KINNEY COUNTY. 177 

average annual fleece of about 6 pounds, worth at San Antonio, the nearest 
market, about 25 cents a pound. The county is specially adapted to the 
raising of goats, and it is believed that Angora goats would prove very 
profitable. Work horses are worth from $30 to $50; mules, $40 to $75; 
oxen, $50 to $60 a yoke. Beef retails at 5 cents; mutton, 7; pork, 5; and 
bacon, 12^ to 15 cents a pound; corn, $1 to $2 a bushel; flour, $10 to $12 
a barrel. Game is moderately abundant, deer, turkeys, and beaver being 
the principal kinds. Catfish, suckers, trout, and perch are very numerous in 
the rivers and creeks. 

Junction City, the county seat, at the junction of the North and South 
Llano rivers, the only town in the county, has a population of about 250, 
and a good local trade. The Methodist, Baptist and Christian denominations 
have church organizations, but as yet church conveniences are not very good. 
Free schools have not yet been generally organized, but the apportionment 
of the State free school fund has been made for a scholastic population of 
240, and the establishment of free schools is only a question of a very short 
time. The elevation of the general surface and the thorough drainage 
render the county remarkably free from disease. The atmosphere is pure 
and dry, and few or no causes of malaria exist. 



KINNEY COUNTY 

Lies on the Rio Grande, in north latitude 29 deg. 29 rnin. and west 
longitude 100 deg. 30 min. Del Rio, its principal shipping point, is 386 
miles south of west of the city of Houston, by the Galveston, Harrisburg and 
San Antonio Railway, and Mexican and Pacific extension. Area, 1704 
square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,204 

Population in 1880 (481 colored) 4,487 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 No returns 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $657,108 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 268,080 

This county presents a variety of surface, from the rugged and moun- 
tainous ranges, which are conspicuous on the north and northeast, to the 
broad, alluvial valleys of the Rio Grande and minor streams. Near its 
southern boundary the Antiochio mountains, a long level range, extend 
east and west, and bound the horizon for many miles. Its central area, 
comprising the larger proportion, is composed of wide plains, traversed 
at intervals by water-courses, which take their rise, for the most part, 
12 



178 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

within its limit. On the northwest there is a good deal of hilly and rolling 
country, sparsely timbered, and interspersed with occasional stretches of 
level plain. About one-fourth of the surface is covered with timber, live 
oak, cedar, pecan, elm, and mesquite being the chief varieties. On the more 
elevated plateaus the mesquite forms quite extensive forests and attains an 
unusual size. The county is exceptionally well watered. Besides the Rio 
Grande, it has the Nueces, and Devil's rivers, and San Felipe, Elm, San 
Moras, San Piedro, Zoquete and Sycamore creeks, all affording an abun- 
dance of clear, running water. The San Felipe, a deep, bold stream, about 
seven miles long, has its source in two adjacent springs, as remarkable for 
iheir size and depth as for the transparent clearness and great volume 
of water discharged. There are occasional springs, and wells of excellent 
water are obtained at a moderate depth. The mean annual rainfall is 
29.37 inches. 

Rather more than one-half the entire area is of arable quality. Owing, 
however, to the uncertainty of the rainfall, all agriculture is conducted by 
the aid of irrigation, facilities for which are afforded by the various streams, 
both in the supply of running water and in the level and fertile valleys and 
plains through which they flow. The soil is chiefly a dark loam, with 
here and there a light, sandy land, and on the river and creek bottoms it is 
alluvial. All of these lands are fertile, and, in fevorable seasons or under 
irrigation, productive. Considerable capital has been expended in the 
construction of irrigating canals and ditches, and about six thousand acres 
have been put in cultivation. Corn yields an average crop of 20 to 25 
bushels to the acre; oats, 30; sugar cane, 1800 pounds of peloncillo sugar; 
sweet potatoes, 250 bushels. Vegetables of all the usual varieties grow 
luxuriantly on irrigated soil, and yield abundantly. Peaches, apples, plums, 
pears, pomegranates, and grapes are grown with success. "Wild land is 
worth from 50 cents to $2.50 per acre, the price varying with the quality 
and location. There are large bodies of school land of fair quality in the 
county. Improved lands are held at $20 per acre. Lands in cultivation are 
rented for one-fourth of the crop raised. Mexicans are generally employed 
as laborers and herdsmen, and the usual wages are $20 per month. 

There were in the county, according to the assessment of 1881, 11,05C 
cattle, 1173 horses and mules, 100,575 sheep, 6866 goats, and 300 hogs. 
The mesquite, with its several varieties, is the prevailing grass, and grows 
everywhere luxuriantly. All kinds of live stock are healthy, and keep in good 
condition throughout the winter without other feed than the native grasses. 
Both sheep and cattle owners are improving their flocks and herds by 
introducing thoroughbred males, and both branches of stockraising are 
prospering and increasing in a rapid ratio. Came is very abundant, such 
as bear, deer, turkeys, ducks and birds; and fish of the common kinds are 
found in the rivers and other streams. 

The Mexican and Pacific extension of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. LAMAR COUNTY. 179 

Antonio Railway passes through the county, and its most important station 
is Del Rio, a town of 600 inhabitants, situated at the head of the San 
Felipe river. Brackett, situated on the Las Moras, opposite the military 
post of Fort Clark, is a town of 1200 inhabitants. Both of these towns are 
centres of a considerable trade, and are growing in population and business. 

The San Felipe and the Las Moras afford water power ample for a large 
amount of machinery. 

There are 18 free schools in the county for a scholastic population of 508, 
with an attendance of about 65 per cent. 

The Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Presbyterian denominations are 
represented in the county, and the two first named are provided with 
church buildings. 

The atmosphere being dry, balmy and invigorating, the climate is 
exceptionally healthful. 



LAMAR COUNTY 

Is the third from the eastern boundary line of the State, in the tier of 
counties fronting on Red River, and lies on the meridian of 95 deg. 40 min. 
west longitude. Area, 920 square miles. 

Population in 1870 15,790 

Population in 1880 (one-fourth colored) 27,193 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $2,621,933 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 5,100,479 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 5,482,432 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 553,203 

The county is about equally divided between woodland and prairie, which 
alternate with some degree of regularity. On the wide bottoms of Red 
River is found a heavily timbered, deep alluvial soil, with a dense growth 
of black oak, overcup oak, walnut, ash, sycamore and hackberry. South of 
that is a belt of land ten or twelve miles wide, with a sandy soil, covered 
with oak, hickory, walnut, ash, sycamore, and bois d'arc, and interspersed 
here and there with prairies; next is a strip of gray sandy prairie from 
three to five miles wide; and then, extending to the timber of the North 
Sulphur Fork of Red River, and comprising about one-third the area of the 
•county, are the stiff, black waxy prairie lands, noted for their fertility, and 
capacity to resist the effects of drouth. South of these, and extending to 
the North Sulphur Fork, a distance of about seven miles, is a body of valu- 
able timber growing on a sandy soil. In this latter body are considerable 



180 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OP 



areas of hammock land, which equals in fertility the best prairie lands in 
the county. The bois d'arc grows to a large size, is very valuable for 
wagon making, furniture, and for all purposes requiring a hard, fine-grained, 
durable wood, and is also much used for hedges. 

The surface of the county, more elevated in the centre, slopes north to 
the main Red River, and south to the North Sulphur Fork; and Upper and 
Lower Pine, and Sanders creeks flow into the former, and Tolletts, Rock, 
Honey, Crockett's, Hickory, Click's, Cherry, Bee, and several other smaller 
streams into the latter. There are some good springs in the northern part 
of the county, but water for domestic use is generally obtained from 
cisterns and wells, the latter being obtained in most parts of the county at 
from 25 to 60 feet. 

Nearly the entire area is suitable for cultivation, and it is estimated that 
about one-fifth is enclosed for farms, which range in size from 25 to 1000 
acres. Improved agricultural implements are largely used. The yield of 
the Red River bottom lands is, in many seasons, from 50 to 60 bushels of 
corn, or a bale of cotton per acre. While the other lands rarely, if ever, return 
a yield so large, the average of production in the county, taken as a whole, is 
very high, the proportion of exceptionally rich land being large. Vegeta- 
bles and melons of all kinds are raised in great abundance. With the 
exception of pears, which are sometimes subject to blight, all kinds of fruits 
and berries do well, and large shipments of them are made every season. 
The shipments of vegetables, apples, peaches, plums, etc., by one party in 
Paris, was this season (1882) about 10,000 packages. Unimproved land, 
suitable for farms, can be bought for from $1 to $10, and improved tracts 
for from $5 to $25 per acre. The mean annual rainfall is about 40 inches, 
and generally well distributed throughout the year. 

Stockraising is usually combined with agriculture, and during winter 
stock requires the run of the fields, small-grain pasturage, or feeding to a 
greater or less extent. Sheep are generally exempt from disease, and the 
ordinary weight of fleece is four pounds. In January, 1882, according to 
the assessment rolls, there were in the county 10,704 horses and mules, 
22,880 cattle, 4039 sheep, 139 goats, and 17,317 hogs. The latter are 
raised almost entirely in the woods, and are often fattened for pork on the 
mast, without the use of grain. Work horses are worth from $40 to $80; 
mules, $60 to $100; and oxen, $60 a yoke. Beef retails for from 5 to 7; 
mutton, 6 to 8; and pork, 5 to 7 cents per pound; corn, 50 to 75 cents per 
bushel; flour, from $3.50 to $4.50 per 100 pounds. 

The Transcontinental branch of the Texas and Pacific Railway runs 
nearly centrally through the county from east to west, and has three stations 
in the county, Paris, Brookston, and Blossom Prairie. The northeastern 
branch of the Houston and Texas Central Railway from Garrett, in Ellis 
county, to Paris, is in course of rapid construction, and a branch of the 
Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, from Dallas to the same point, is projected. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. LAMPASAS COUNTY. 181 

The St. Louis and San Francisco Railway has also projected a branch of its 
road through the Indian Territory to Paris, and it is believed it will be 
speedily built. 

Paris, the county seat, is a growing little city of about 5000 inhabitants, 
with many handsome private residences and costly and substantial business 
houses. Among its manufacturing enterprises are the Paris marble works, 
two furniture factories, run by steam, and using exclusively native material, 
two steam planing mills, and three steam flouring mills. The city has a 
system of graded schools in which 1009 children within scholastic age are 
enrolled. These schools are supported by the pro rata apportionment of 
the State school fund, supplemented by a special city tax. "Woodland 
Female College, and Aiken Institute are flourishing educational institutions, 
with able faculties, and a large number of students. Outside of the city of 
Paris is a scholastic population of 4019, for which are provided 112 public 
free schools, 29 of which are for colored pupils. There are a number of 
handsome church buildings in Paris, nearly every denomination being 
represented, and there is one or more churches in every neighborhood in 
the county. Blossom Prairie has a population of 700 and a good local 
trade. The city tax of Paris is 25 cents and the county tax is 40 cents on 
the $100. County scrip is at par. 

The population is characterized by a large degree of refinement and 
culture, and nowhere is law better enforced, or life and property safer 
The prohibition of the sale of alcoholic and malt liquors has been adopted 
under the local option statute, and is strictly enforced in the county. In 
and near the river bottoms, chills and fever are more or less prevalent in 
summer, but the general health of the county is very good. 



LAMPASAS COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 31 deg. 15 min., and west longitude 98 deg. 15 
min., and its county seat is about 60 miles northwest of the city of Austin. 
Area, 858 square miles. 

Population in 1870 ■ 1,344 

Population in 1880 (173 colored) 5,421 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $349,256 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,260,547 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,654,348 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 243,766 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 443,497 



182 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

The county occupies an elevated plateau on the divide between the 
Colorado and the North Fork of the Lampasas river, and three-fourths of 
its area is high rolling prairies, traversed in some portions by low ranges 
of mountains. In other parts of the county are hills of considerable eleva- 
tion, and at the foot of the hills and mountains spread out broad level 
valleys. Along the streams is a growth of pecan, walnut, elm, hackberry, 
and burr oak, and on the uplands, mountain cedar, live oak, Spanish oak, 
and several other varieties of timber, which is, for the most part, inferior, 
but valuable for fuel, fencing, and for log buildings. The timbered area 
-embraces about one-third of the county. The Colorado river forms the 
western boundary, the North Fork of Lampasas river flows for 35 miles 
through the northeastern border, and the Sulphur Fork rises in the south- 
ern portion of the county and flows southeast to a junction with the main 
Lampasas. Tributary to the Colorado are Elliot's, Antelope, Emery's, and 
Lynch's creeks, and to the Lampasas, Lacey's, Scherl, Sims, and Mesquite 
creeks, and many smaller streams. In many parts of the county are bold, 
•clear springs. 

The soil on the prairie and in the mountain coves is black waxy; in the 
valleys, a rich alluvium; and in the high table lands, a chocolate-colored 
loam. The mean annual rainfall is about 32 inches, and is usually sufficient 
for all fall, winter and spring crops, but in late summer is sometimes scant, 
though most crops are reasonably sure without the aid of irrigation. Im- 
proved farming implements are employed to only a limited extent, but their 
use is increasing. The valley lands are most esteemed for cultivation, and 
fche usual yield, per acre, is, from one-third to one-half of a bale of cotton; 
•corn, 20 to 35 bushels; wheat, 10 to 15; oats, 40 to 60; and potatoes and 
vegetables do well. Peaches, apples, plums and nectarines have proved 
highly successful wherever they have received proper attention. Pecans 
and walnuts are indigenous and yield large crops. Unimproved valley 
lands can be bought for from $2 to $5 an acre; improved tracts for from 
$8 to $15, and the latter rent at from $3 to $5. Ordinary fencing costs 
from $150 to $200 a mile. Pine lumber is worth from $2 to $3.50 pel 
hundred feet. 

The mountain slopes and coves and the wide valleys afford fine pasturage. 
The tall sedge is the most abundant grass, but is not so nutritious as the 
mesquite, which covers about one-fourth the grazing lands. Stock cattle 
and horses are raised on the open range the year round, but work animals and 
sheep require some winter feed. Sheep increase annually about 50 to 75 
per cent, and are generally free from disease, except the scab, which is 
easily cured by the tobacco dip. They are generally of the common breed, 
and yield a fleece of about three pounds weight. According to the assess- 
ment rolls for 1882 there are in the county 5649 horses and mules, 
32,457 cattle, 20,062 sheep, 707 goats, and 4962 hogs. Work horses are 
worth from $25 to $60; mules, $50 to $80; oxen, $40 to $60 a yoke. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. LAMPASAS COUNTY. 183 

Beef and mutton retail at from 4 to 6; pork, 5 to 7; and bacon, 12 to 15 
cents a pound; corn is worth from 50 cents to $1 per bushel; flour, $3.50 
to $5 per 100 pounds. A few deer and turkeys are found in the bottoms, 
and the ordinary varieties of fresh water fish are numerous in the streams. 
Water power is furnished by the Sulphur Fork of the Lampasas, which is 
believed to be sufficient to run the heaviest machinery, but has as yet been 
utilized to only a limited extent. 

Lampasas, the county seat, has about 1200 inhabitants, is the present 
western terminus of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, and is by 
that road 273 miles northwest of the gulf port of Galveston. Near the town 
are a number of white sulphur and chalybeate springs, the waters of which 
possess valuable medicinal properties. The principal of these, known as 
the Hanna and the Hancock springs, are situated about three-quarters 
of a mile apart, and each has a flow of more than 1000 gallons per 
minute. The waters of the former are strongly impregnated with white sul- 
phur, chloride of sodium and lime, and the latter with white sulphur and iron, 
and has a slight trace of chloride of sodium. The waters of these springs 
are believed to be very beneficial for cutaneous diseases, rheumatism, gout, 
kidney affections, dyspepsia, and torpidity of the liver, and as a bath, to 
possess highly tonic and invigorating properties. Though the accommoda- 
tions are as yet limited and somewhat rude, Lampasas springs have become 
the resort of large numbers of invalids. Steps are now being taken to erect 
two or more large hotels with all the latest improvements, and to otherwise 
add to the natural attractions of the place. The general elevation is about 
1200 feet above the sea level, and from the tops of the hills near at hand a 
beautiful and varied panorama of valleys, streams, and fields is presented, 
and much of the mountain scenery is picturesque and grand. 

There are in the county four or five flouring and grist mills, and a few 
saw mills run by water power, the latter being principally employed in saw- 
ing framing timbers, the native trees not being altogether suitable for 
plank. 

The scholastic population for the current year is 986, and the average 
daily attendance on the public free schools is about 75 per cent. There is 
an academy in Lampasas, and a number of other private schools of medium 
grade in various parts of the county. The Methodist and Baptist denomi- 
nations are numerically the strongest, but the Presbyterian, Episcopal, 
Primitive Baptist, and Christian denominations are also represented. 
Church conveniences are toler'able good, and attendance on religious ser- 
vices general. 

The county has a floating debt of about $8000, and a bonded debt of 
about $7000, and levies a tax of fifty cents on the one hundred dollars' 
worth of property. The population is generally quiet, peaceable, and law- 
abiding. The salubrity of the atmosphere for which the town and springs 
are noted characterizes the entire county, and its healthfulness is proverbial. 



184 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



LA SALLE COUNTY 

Is in Southwest Texas, and lies on the line of the Laredo division of the 
International and Great Northern Railway, about midway between the cities 
•of San Antonio and Laredo. Area, 1512 square miles. 

Population in 1870 , 69 

Population in 1880 (14 colored) 789 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $569,982 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,211,332 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 230,896 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 548,409 

Almost the entire area is undulating prairie, covered more or less thickly 
in many portions with scrubby mesquite trees, and traversed by numerous 
streams, along whose courses is a scattered growth of small timber, suitable 
only for fuel and fencing. The Frio and the Nueces rivers and their 
tributaries water respectively the northern and southern parts of the 
"•.ounty, but are running streams only for a part of the year. Their beds 
are in many places washed into natural tanks which, together with artificial 
tanks, supply moderately sufficient stock water in the dryest seasons. 
There are few or no springs, and water for domestic purposes is obtained 
from artificial tanks and from cisterns and wells, the latter being easily 
obtained. The land near the streams is a mellow, reddish loam, which, so 
far as it has been tested, has proved fairly productive; but farming, as 
a distinct pursuit, is not followed in the county, the only land tilled being 
small patches attached to stock ranches. The mean annual rainfall is about 
23 inches, but is not so distributed as to always insure late crops, which 
frequently suffer from drouth. In favorable seasons twenty-five bushels 
of corn to the acre, and satisfactory crops of potatoes and melons, have 
been raised. Fruits have not been tried to any extent, but it is believed 
the soil and climate are fairly well adapted to the growth of the common 
kinds. 

Stockraising is the almost exclusive pursuit of the population, and the 
sheep interests are the most important. Nearly the entire surface of the 
country is covered with nutritious grasses, principally the long and the 
•curly mesquite, but there is also some sedge grass on the more elevated 
plains, and much sacahuista on the bottom lands. 

The assessment rolls for 1882 show in the county 3243 horses and mules, 
16,185 cattle, 152,320 sheep, and 15,590 goats. Stock are raised and keep 
in good condition on the native grasses, and neither receive or need other 
feed. Sheep are sometimes affected with scab, which is, however, easily 



TEXAS EY COUNTIES. — LAVACA COUNTY. 185 

cured by remedies easily applied and always at hand in every ranch. The 
increase of stock, naturally and by the introduction of new herds, is so rapid 
that it is believed the number at present in the county is largely in excess of 
the above figures. Work and saddle horses are worth from $20 to $40; 
mules, $30 to $50; oxen, $40 to $60 a yoke. Large numbers of domestic 
fowls are raised. Deer, turkeys, ducks, geese, quail, and jack rabbits are 
abundant, and catfish, buffalo, perch, trout, and soft-shell turtles are in 
plentiful supply in the rivers. 

Wild land is worth from $1 to $2 per acre. So little farming has been 
done that there is no improved land for sale, and it can hardly be said to 
have a quotable value. Probably one-third of the county is composed of 
State school lands of various kinds, wooded, grazing and arable, any of 
which can be bought at a minimum price of from $1 to $2 an acre, 
according to the water supply, payable in 20 annual installments, with 8 
per cent interest. Grazing lands can be leased at from three to five cents 
an acre. 

The International and Great Northern Railway passes through the west- 
ern half of the county, and has three stations, Tuna, Twohig, and Bueno. 

The county has only been recently organized, and there are no public free 
schools. There are, however, two private schools, under the management of 
competent teachers, and with a fair attendance of pupils. Church conveni- 
ences are as yet very limited, and religious services are seldom held, but the 
advent of the railroad and the building up of towns along its line is rapidly 
improving the social, business, and religious aspects of the county. The 
county has a small floating debt, and levies a general tax of 20 cents, and 
a special tax, to pay for a court house and jail, of 50 cents on the $100. 

No causes of malaria exist, the climate is mild and equable, and the 
general health is always good. The mean temperature in summer is about 
85 deg., and in winter about 45 deg. Severe "northers," which occur at 
long intervals, cause the mercury to sink to the freezing point, but that 
degree of cold never lasts exceeding a few days at a time. 



LAVACA COUNTY. 

Halletsvine, the county seat, is in west longitude 96 deg. 55 min. and 
north latitude 29 deg. 20 min., and is 70 miles west of north of the port 
of Indianola. Area, 1 004 square miles. 

Population in 1870 9,168 

Population in 1880 (one-fourth colored) 13,641 

Assessed value < f taxable property in 1870 $1,363,439 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,969,73^ 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 611 242 



186 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

The general surface is about equally divided between prairie and forest, 
the prairie being generally rolling and the timbered land level. The 
southern portion is most level, and there is a gradual ascent to the northern 
boundary. On the streams is a more or less dense growth of elm, pecan, 
Cottonwood, sycamore, wild peach, live oak, and burr oak; and on the 
uplands, of post oak, blackjack, hickory, hackberry and some other varie- 
ties. The post oak, burr oak, and live oak is much used for fencing, and 
where convenient to saw mills, is made into lumber of fair quality. 

The Navidad and Lavaca rivers flow through the county from north to 
south, and are permanent running streams, and with their tributaries, Big 
and Little Brushy, Big and Little Rocky, North and South Mustang, 
Ponton, and other smaller creeks, distribute an abundant, unfailing water 
supply. For domestic purposes wells are mainly used, being obtained at a 
moderate depth in all parts of the county. The mean annual rainfall is 
about 38 inches, and, as a rule, the seasons are regular, and a fair yield of 
farm products is reasonably sure every year. 

The soil on the upland prairies is, for the most part, black waxy hog 
wallow; in the prairie valleys, a black sandy; on the streams, a dark 
alluvium; and on the post oak uplands, a light gray sandy soil, on a sub 
stratum of red clay. In ordinary seasons cotton produces from 600 to 
1200 pounds in the seed per acre; corn, 25 to 30 bushels; oats, 30 bushels; 
rye, 20; sugar, 1000 pounds; and molasses, 100 to 150 gallons; sorghum 
syrup, 150 to 200 gallons; sweet potatoes, 150 to 200 bushels; prairie hay, 
2 tons; millet, 2 to 4 tons; and all kinds of vegetables yield in like propor- 
tion. Peaches, plums, figs, and grapes grow well, and repay proper 
cultivation with a tolerably sure yield. Improved agricultural implements 
are employed to a considerable extent, and their use is increasing. Unim- 
proved prairie land, suitable for cultivation, is worth from $2 to $10 an acre, 
and timbered land from 50 cents to $5, according to location and quality. 
Improved prairie farms are held at from $5.50 to $20 an acre, and timbered 
land from $4 to $10, the usual terms being one-half cash and the balance 
in one and two years. Farms rent for from $2 to $5 per acre, or for one- 
third of the grain and one-fourth of the cotton. Ordinary fencing costs 
about $150 a mile. The McCartney rose has proved valuable for hedges, 
but has not been extensively grown. Pine lumber is worth from $22 to 
$30 per thousand feet. 

On the prairies is a luxuriant growth of mesquite grass, and in the post 
oak region of sedge grass, and the range is good for about nine months in 
the year. Live stock are raised and keep in fair condition on the open 
range the year round, but would be the better of some feed in severe weather. 
There are in the county, according to the assessment of 1882, 8786 horses 
and mules, 34,122 cattle, 16,401 sheep, and 10,999 hogs. The latter, in 
many seasons, are fattened for pork entirely on the post oak, pecan, and 
other mast. Average work horses are worth about $50; mules, $60; and 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. LEE COUNTY. 187 

oxen, $50 a yoke. All kinds of meat are cheap and of superior quality. 
Corn sells for from 50 to 75 cents a bushel, and flour $7 to $10 a barrel- 
Neither game nor fish are abundant, but there are a few deer, ducks, and 
turkeys, and some catfish, perch, and buffalo. 

No railroads touch the county, but the county seat is equi-distant (about 
32 miles) from Cuero, the terminus of the Gulf, Western Texas and Pacific 
Railway; Columbus, on the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Rail- 
way; and Gonzales, the terminus of the branch line of the latter road. 

Halletsville has a population of about 700, and there are several other 
small villages in the county, with from 50 to 100 inhabitants each, a post- 
office, and a small local trade. It is believed that water power of considerable, 
capacity can be cheaply secured in the Lavaca and Navidad rivers, but no 
well directed effort has as yet been made to utilize it. 

Public free schools are provided for a scholastic population of 2614, and 
there are a number of private schools of a good grade in the county. At 
Halletsville there is a college, under the management of competent teachers, 
and provided with substantial and convenient buildings. 

The Roman Catholic and Episcopal denominations have each a good 
church building in Halletsville, and the Methodists, Primitive and Mis- 
sionary Baptists, Presbyterians, and Christians hold divine service alternately 
in the college building. The county is not in debt, and the county tax is- 
40 cents on the $100. 

The population is generally intelligent, peaceable, and law-abiding. In 
dry summers, following upon a wet spring, chills and fever on and near the 
streams prevail more or less, but the proximity of the county to the gulf, and 
the elevation and thorough drainage, render it generally healthy. The sum- 
mer temperature ranges from 70 to 95 deg.,and the winter from 30 to 55 deg 



LEE COUNTY. 

Giddings, the county seat of this county, is 59 miles south of east of the 
city of Austin, by the line of the western branch of the Houston and Texas 
Central Railway. The county was formed in 1874 of parts of adjoining 
counties, and has an area of 603 square miles. 

Population in 1880 (23 per cent colored) 8,937 

Assessed value of taxable property in 18S1 $1,797,401 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,017,261 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 316,094 

About one-fourth of the county is high rolling prairie, and the remainder 



188 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

heavily timbered bottoms, and less densely timbered uplands. The timber 
on the uplands is, in part, the low, heavy-topped live oak, but principally 
post oak and blackjack, and in the bottoms, tall and straight pin oak, ash, 
elm, mulberry, pecan, box elder, and other minor varieties. 

The principal water-courses are the three Yeguas (Ya-waws) and their trib- 
utaries, the longest of the Yeguas being, by the course of the stream, about 
75 miles in length. There are a large number of bold springs, several 
lakes of considerable size, and wells of pure water are obtained at a depth 
of from 25 to 60 feet. 

On some parts of the prairie there is a black, tenacious and waxy soil, 
and on others a dark chocolate sandy, in the bottoms a rich alluvium, and 
on the timbered uplands, a gray sandy; and about three-fourths of the area 
is suitable for cultivation. The average production, per acre, is, of cotton, 
one-fourth to two-thirds of a bale; corn, 2i bushels; wheat, 10 to 15; oats, 
40 to 60; rye, 15 to 25; barley, 25 to 35; sorghum syrup, 150 gallons; 
potatoes, Irish, 80; and sweet, 150 to 200 bushels; millet, 2 to 3 tons. 
Vegetables of all kinds are raised easily and in great profusion. With 
ordinary care and attention the raising of peaches, pears, plums, and figs is 
a sure and profitable business. In the prairie portion of the county, 
improved farming implements are employed to only a limited extent, but 
their use is increasing. The mean annual rainfall is about 40 inches, and the 
seasons are usually such as to insure good yields of all kinds of crops. 
Wild land, suitable for farms, is worth from $1 to $4 an acre, and improved 
farms from $6 to $10; usual terms, one-third cash, balance in one, 
two, and three years. Farms rent for $3 to $5 per acre, or one-third 
the grain and one-fourth the cotton. Ordinary rail fencing costs from $100 
to $125 a mile. Hedges are but little grown. Pine lumber is worth $16 
per thousand feet, by the car load. 

Sedge grass is abundant on the timbered land, and the mesquite grows 
luxuriantly on the prairie, and good pasturage is afforded the entire year. 
Live stock is raised almost exclusively on the open range, and (with the 
exception of sheep and work animals) rarely receive any other feed. Hogs 
are in many seasons fattened for pork entirely on the mast. There are in 
the county, according to the assessment rolls of 1882, 4459 horses and 
mules, 17,644 cattle, 3043 sheep, and 10,187 hogs. Work horses are worth, 
on an average, $50; mules, $60 to $80; oxen, $50 a yoke. All kinds of 
butcher's meat are cheap, and the usual price of corn is 50 to 75 cents a 
bushel, and flour $7.50 to $10 a barrel. Domestic fowls are raised in large 
numbers; squirrels, raccoons, opossums, and quail are numerous, and there 
are some deer and turkeys, and in the streams a moderate supply of the 
common varieties of fish. 

The western branch of the Houston and Texas Central passes across the 
southern end of the county, and has one station, Giddings, which has a 
population of about 800, and a good local trade. There are no manufac- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. LEON COUNTY. 189 

tories except steam saw mills, of which there are a sufficient number to 
supply the local demand for native lumber. 

The scholastic population is 1 608, for which there are 50 public free schools 
in the county. The Episcopal, Baptist, Christian, Methodist, Presbyterian, 
and Lutheran denominations have church organization, and there are 30 
houses of worship in the county. The county has no debt, and levies a 
tax of twenty-five cents on the one hundred dollars. 

Formed, as the county is, of portions of four of the oldest counties in the 
State, the population is generally conservative, law-abiding and intelligent. 

In the summer and fall there is, in and near the bottoms, more or less 
light malarial sickness, but the general health is fully up to the standard of 
the State, and the death rate is small. Average summer temperature, 75 
to 98 deg. ; winter, 28 to 65 deg. 



LEON COUNTY 

Is on the San Antonio division of the International and Great Northern 
Railway, and Jewett, the principal shipping point in the county, is 138 
miles northeast of the city of Austin. Area, 1049 square miles. 

Population in 1870 6,523 

Population in 1880 12,817 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,065,823 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,762,780 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 314,485 

The general surface presents an alternation of high hills of gentle ascent 
with narrow valleys between, and extended plateaus of level table land, 
all heavily timbered and traversed by numerous running streams. On the 
hills are dense forests of post oak, blackjack, hickory and red oak; on 
the sand flats, a scrubby growth of bluejack and post oak; in and on the 
edges of the river and creek bottoms, tall pin oak, water oak, black and red 
walnut, white hickory, ash, white and red elm, sweet gum, black gum, birch, 
box elder, sycamore, cottonwood, locust, and pecan. Twenty-two different 
kinds of valuable timber from this county were exhibited at the Interna- 
tional Cotton Exposition of 1882, at Atlanta, Georgia. Black walnut of su- 
perior quality and sweet gum of large size are found in such abundance as 
to invite the establishment of manufactories of furniture and ornamental 
woodwork on a large scale. 

The county has an east front on Trinity river for about 50 miles, and 
tributaries to that stream are Boggy, Upper and Lower Keechi, Tom's, and 



190 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Beaver Dam creeks, while Lamb's, Birch, Grayson, Forky Deer, Brushy, 
Clear, and Running creeks flow into the Navasota river, which forms the 
western boundary of the county. Buck, Spring, and Little and Big Beaver 
creeks flow into one or the other of the above named streams, almost all of 
which run at all seasons of the year. Unfailing springs of both f reestone and 
chalybeate water are unusually numerous, and wells are obtained at almost 
any desired point at a moderate depth. 

The soils of the bottom lands are divided between a light mellow and a 
deep reddish alluvium and a stiff black waxy, and produce under ordinarily 
favorable condidions from 30 to 50 bushels of corn and from 1200 to 1600 
pounds of seed cotton per acre. The uplands are varied by a deep light, 
a compact gray,'a mulatto, a chocolate-colored sandy, and a red land, the 
last being almost equal in point of production to the bottom land. On 
the alluvial creek 'lands, in 1878, ribbon cane matured stalks ten feet in 
length, which, crushed by horse power mills, yielded 500 gallons of 
molasses and 300 pounds of sugar to the acre. Sweet potatoes yield 
from 150 to 400 bushels, millet from l-£ to 3 tons, and oats 30 to 50 
bushels to the acre. Peaches, apples, pears and, plums are raised in large 
quantities, and the fruit is large and of very fine flavor. Considerable 
areas of the land in the county are inferior, but much of the light sandy 
upland, to appearance sterile, is, in reality, fairly and uniformly productive. 
In 1880 there were produced in the county 21,300 bales of cotton, and corn 
enough for home consumption for a two years' supply Unimproved land 
is worth from 50 cents to $4 an acre, and improved tracts from $3 to $15; 
and the latter rents for from $2.50 to $4 per acre, or one-third the grain 
and one-fourth the cotton. Ordinary rail fencing costs about $100 to $125 
a mile. Pine lumber is worth from $15 to $25 per 1000 feet. 

Stock raising is combined with, and constitutes a profitable adjunct of, 
agriculture. The range, consisting principally of sedge grass, is good for 
about eight months of the year, but during the winter months stock require 
the run of the fields, winter pasture, and some feed. On the river, and in 
the south and southwest parts of the county, are prairies covered with rich 
grasses, and more than three-fourths of the county is unenclosed. The as- 
sessment rolls of 1882 show 4472 horses and mules, 20,900 cattle, 1116 
sheep, and lft, 851 hogs. The latter are raised with but little trouble or ex. 
pense, as they run in the open forests, and the mast is sufficient in most sea- 
sons to fatten them for market without the use of grain, except for a very 
short time before slaughtering. "Work horses are worth from $40 to $80, 
mules $70 to $125, oxen $50 to $75 a yoke. All kinds of butcher's meat, 
and also bacon, *re sold at low rates, and the usual price of corn is 35 to 75 
cents per bushel, and flour $8.50 to $10 per barrel. Both large and small 
game and all varieties of fresh water fish are abundant. 

There is believed to be valuable water power in many of the streams,; but 
it is applied, as yet, only in a small way to cotton gins and grist mills-, of 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — LIBERTY COUNTY. 191 

which there are a large number in the county. There are surface indica^ 
tions of coal and iron, but no attempts to develop these deposits have been 
made. The International and Great Northern Railway has forty-six miles of 
road in the county, and there are five stations, four of which have from 150 
to 35t) inhabitants, and from 2500 to 6500 bales of cotton are shipped from 
each. Centerville, the county seat, is fourteen miles east of the railroad, 
and has about 200 inhabitants. 

For the year 1882-83 tne scholastic population is 2352, for which public 
free schools are provided, with an average daily attendance of about 70 per 
cent. In addition to its pro rata of the State school fund, the county 
has a school fund of $55,736 bearing interest at 10 per cent, arising from 
the sale of four leagues of land set apart to it for school purposes under 
the State law. There is a high school at Centerville, and a number of pri- 
vate schools in several parts oi the county. 

Churches for both tne white and colored population are found in nearly 
every neighborhood, the Methodist, Baptist and Christian denominations" 
having the largest membership. The dockets of the court show that only 
about thirty indictments, generally for petty offenses, are preferred annu- 
ally in the county. The county levies a tax of 20 cents on the $100, and 
there is a balance in the treasury. 

The county generally and on the table lands especially, is healthy. But 
as in most heavily timbered and abundantly watered sections, malarial at- 
tacks in the torm ot chills and fever are in some seasons more or less prev- 
alent along the water courses. 



LIBERTY COUNTY. 

The town of Liberty, the county seat, is situated at the head of tidewater 
navigation on the Trinity river 102 miles north of tne port of Galveston, 
and on the line of the Texas and New Orleans Railway, 42 miles northeast 
of the city of Houston. Area, 1172 square miles. 

Population in 1870* 4,414 

Population in 1880 (50 per cent colored) 4,999 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870* $461,954 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,170,822 

Assessed value of Jive stocK in 1881 257,217 

*A portion of the county waB taken to form San Jacinto county in ls70, after tbe census and assessment ot 
that year. 

The surface is generally level or gently undulating, with few or no hills 
of any considerable elevation, and in some portions there are extended flats 



11)2 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

of alluvial formation, comprising some of the most productive lands, which 
require artificial drainage preparatory to their successful cultivation. The 
Trinity river flows from north to south nearly centrally through the county, 
a distance of about 60 miles by the course of the stream, and the East 
San Jacinto river, through the northwest corner. Tarkington's, Turtle, 
Willowmarsh, and Big Pine Island bayous, and Old River, and Menard's, 
Gaylor's, and Luce's creeks are well distributed through other portions of 
the county. Besides these principal water-courses, there are a large number 
of branches and rivulets, and also many pools, which, in this moist region 
and tenacious soil, retain water in the dryest seasons. For all domestic 
purposes, and for drinking water especially, cisterns are preferred and 
universally used, but wells of palatable water are everywhere obtained at a 
shallow depth. 

The bottoms of the Trinity river, from 5 to 6 miles in width, are covered 
with a dense and heavy growth of white oak, red oak, water oak, 
overcup oak, post oak, ash, elm, hackberry, black walnut, pecan, cypress, 
tupelo gum, sweet gum, black gum, and many other kinds of valuable 
timber. On the uplands, and especially in the northern portion of the 
county, there are also considerable areas of forest, and the prairies, which 
constitute something more than one-fourth of the area of the county, are 
relieved here and there by motts, or "islands of timber." The amount of 
merchantable pine standing in the county in 1880, according to the Forestry 
Bulletin of the United States Census Bureau, was, of the long-leaf pine 
(pinus Australis). 41,600,000 feet, and of the loblolly pine (pinus tceda), 
2,147,200,000 feet, board measure. These large timber resources, consid 
ered in connection with the uncommon facilities of transportation by tide- 
water navigation to Galveston harbor, would seem to point to the lumber 
business, and especially the getting out of ship timber and staves, as a 
profitable industry of the county in the near future. 

About one-half the area may be properly classed as farming land of 
superior quality, and presents an unusual variety and combination of soils, 
two or more distinct kinds being often found contiguous and alternating 
with each other on a limited tract. The alluvial bottoms and second bot- 
toms of the Trinity river furnish the dark, mellow, wild peach land, the 
heavy '•buckshot" soil, a dark or gray loam, and, in smaller proportion, 
the black, tenacious lime earth, the peculiar qualities of each of which are 
well known to practical farmers. On the uplands the soils are divided 
between the black waxy, the compact mulatto, and the light, loose, sandy 
land. Besides these, there are the marsh lands composed of a black, friable 
mold, the deposit of ages, which only require drainage, for which, in many 
"places, facilities are not wanting, to develop a superior fertility. The mean 
annual rainfall is about 45 inches, and crops on the better class of lands 
more frequently suffer, owing to deficient drainage, from too much rather 
than too little rain. There is good authority for the statement that there 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. LIBERTY COUNTY. 



193 



has not been a failure of crops in the county from drouth in twenty-five 
years. The soil and climate are especially adapted to cotton, sugar cane, 
field peas, Irish and sweet potatoes, melons, and vegetables of all kinds, and 
in lesser degree to corn. Of the latter, 35 bushels per acre is accounted an 
uncommonly good yield, whilst the best lands, under proper tillage, will 
produce from 1000 to 1200 pounds of cotton in the seed, or 1000 pounds of 
sugar, or 300 bushels of sweet, or 100 bushels of Irish potatoes to the acre. 
Of the fruits, peaches, figs, plums, and grapes are grown with success, 
but only to a limited extent. Blackberries, dewberries, and wild grapes of 
several kinds, are the abundant and unfailing products of the forests. Of 
the mustang grape, which grows with great luxuriance, an excellent table 
wine, much resembling claret wine, is made in many households. 

Unimproved farming lands are held at from $2 to 15 per acre; improved 
tracts, with the necessary buildings, etc., at from $5 to $8, according to 
quality, location, and the proportion of enclosed land; and farms with 
houses for tenants, are rented at from $2.50 to $4 an acre, or more gen- 
erally for a share of the crops. With everything furnished to the tenant 
except family supplies, he pays one-half the crop. Common rail fencing 
costs from $100 to $150 a mile. Work horses are worth $45; mule?, $60; 
and oxen, $50 a yoke. Corn sells for 75 cents to $1 per bushel; and flour 
for from $7 to $10 per barrel. 

Stockraising is an important, and perhaps at present, in proportion to 
'-he capital invested, the most profitable pursuit. The stock in the county, 
t,s assessed in 1881, number as follows: 3855 horses and mules, 24,482 
-attle, 6723 hogs, 972 sheep, and 102 goats. All kinds of stock keep fat 
on the open range of the prairies from May to December inclusive, and sub- 
sist moderately well for the remaining four months of the year. On the 
wide bottoms of the Trinity river there is an abundance of switch cane and 
swamp grass, and on the narrow margins of many of the other streams, of 
swamp grass, which furnishes excellent winter pasturage. Hogs are raised, 
and in most seasons fattened for pork, on the mast and grasses of the forest. 
All kinds of meat are cheap in the local markets. Wild turkeys, wild 
geese, brant, ducks, prairie chickens, quail, and squirrels are found in large 
numbers, and bear and deer often reward the search of the keen sportsman. 
Sandhill cranes, whose flesh is esteemed a greater delicacy than that of any 
other fowl except the peafowl, make their appearance in large flocks during 
the fall and winter. Fresh water fish of the common kinds are numerous 
in the rivers, bayous, and lakes. 

The Texas and New Orleans Railway passes through the county nearly 
east and west, and has four stations, Liberty, Ames, Dayton, and Devers. 
The Houston, East and West Texas Railway passes through the northwest 
corner for a distance of ten miles, and has two stations, Cleveland and 
Africa. Liberty , N the only town in the county, has a population of about 
750, and an annual trade of about $150,000. 



194 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

For a scholastic population of 811 in the county, there are 36 public free 
schools of primary grade organized, and taught four months of the year, 
with an average attendance of 75 per cent of the 700 children enrolled. 
All the religious denominations are more or less largely represented in the 
county; the Methodist, Roman Catholic, and Baptist, ranking in numbers in 
the order named, having church organizations and church buildings. The 
people are, as a rule, peaceable and law-abiding, and the better sentiment 
of the communitv is conservative of law and order. The county has an 
outstanding floating debt, and levies an ad valorem tax of fifty-five cents on 
the one hundred dollars. In the upland portions of the county the general 
health is good ; on and near the river and bayou bottoms, chills and fever 
of a mild type, and easily controlled, are more or less prevalent in some 
seasons. The climate is equable and pleasant, both the heat of summer and 
the cold of winter being modified by the gulf breezes. 



LIMESTONE COUNTY 

Lies midway between the Trinity and Brazos rivers, in north latitude 31 
deg. 25 min., and west longitude 96 deg. 30 min. Groesbeeck, the county 
seat, is 171 miles north-northwest of the city of Houston, by the line of the 
Houston and Texas Central Railroad. 

Population in 1870 8,591 

Population in 1880 (20 per cent colored) 16,246 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,468,856 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 3,419,853 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 3,902,360 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 552,891 

Occupying the dividing ridge between the two rivers named, and with 
the Navasota river flowing through trom northwest to southeast, and its many 
affluents diagonallv from the southwest to the northeast, the county is excep- 
tionally well supplied with water for general purposes, and has thorough 
drainage alike tor successful agriculture and the promotion of general health. 
In the sandv districts, springs and wells afford pure, palatable drinking 
water, but in the lime lands cisterns are in general use. The surface is often 
broken and uneven, without rising into abrupt high hills. In the southern 
and southeastern portions lie the fertile valleys of the Navasota and its tribu- 
taries, while in the central, eastern, and northeastern are the high, rolling, 
productive prairies which comprise about two-thirds of the county. The re- 
mainder is clothed with a heavy forest growth, consisting of post oak, pin 



TEXAS EY COUNTIES. — LIMESTONE COUNTY. 195 

oak, black and white oak. and cedar, and in the bottoms of the Navasota 
river, ash, elm, hickory, hackberry, walnut, pecan, and otner minor varieties, 
with a dense undergrowth. Much of the timber is large and of superior qual- 
ity. In the valleys, near the streams, the soil is a deep alluvial ; on the prairies 
it is divided between a deep black and a chocolate-colored lime land, and is, 
in some parts, waxy, and in others friable, and on the uplands it is usually 
a compact, gray, sandy land, on a clay foundation There are occasional 
areas called sandjack flats, in which the soil is Iftose, white sand and of 
inferior quality. The prairie soil often contains sufficient silicious elements 
to produce wheat ana barley well. It is estimated that about 45,000 acres 
are in cultivation in nine hundred farms, averaging fifty acres each. Im- 
proved agricultural implements are much used, and the yield, under proper 
tillage, is from one- fourth to two-thirds of a bale of cotton per acre; corn, 
25 to 35 bushels; wheac, 10 to 15; oats 40 to 50; sweet potatoes, 150; sor- 
ghum syrup, 150 gallons; millet 2 to 3 tons; and garden vegetables and 
melons are a sure and abundant crop. Peaches, plums, and figs do well and 
yield fine fruit, but apples, so far, have not been grown successtully. The 
mean annual rain fall is 39.35 inches, the seasons are usually regular, 
and crop failures from drouth of rare occurrence. Unimproved land, suit-' 
able for farms, ranges in price from $1 to $5 per acre; ana improved tracts 
from $5 to $15. The usual rental of farms is 82.50 to $4 per acre, or one- 
third of the corn and one-fourth of the cotton. The demand for farm labor is 
largely in excess of the supply. First-class laborers are paid $15 per month, 
with board, the year round. Rail fencing costs about $150 per mile, and 
post oak plank, for fencing, is worth $12.50 per 1000 feet. 

The native grasses are nutritious and moderately plentiful, but the avoa 
of grazing lands is being rapidly encroached on by farms, though consid- 
erable numbers of stock yet find abundant pasturage through most of the 
year on the mesquite grass of the prairies and the sedge grass of the 
timbered lands. The assessment rolls of 1882 credit the countv w>th 10,355 
horses and mule3, 33,287 cattle. 12,008 sheep, and 10,907 hogs. A few 
Angora goats have been introduced, and have proved profitable Sheep are 
generally of the common breeds, and shear about four pounds per annum. 
As a rule they are not fed, but in unusually severe weather would be the 
better of a little cotton seed or hay. "WorK horses are worth from $40 to 
$45; mules, $70 to $100; oxen $50 to $60 per yoke; beef, at retail in home 
, markets, 4 to 6 cents; mutton, ft to 7 cents; pork, 6 cents; bacon 12^ to 15 
cents a pound; corn 50 to 75 cents a bushel, flour, $7 to $10 a barrel 

The Houston and Texas Central Railroad passes through the county from 
south to north, a distance Of thirty-five miles; and has four stations, viz: 
Mexia, with a population of about 1200 Kosse, 800; Groesbeeck, 600; and 
Thornton, 200. 

Near Kosse, kaolin clay and petunse are found in apparently inexhausta- 
ble quantities, and of excellent quality, and a factory is in operation ir 



196 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OP 

which much highly finished and durable pottery and tiles are made. There 
are in operation in the county two flouring mills, two saw mills, and two 
wagon and buggy factories. 

The scholastic population is 2549, for which public free schools are pro- 
vided. There are also two high schools, and Trinity University, at Tehua- 
cana Hills, an institution of high standing, under the auspices of the Cum- 
berland Presbyterian church, and the Polytechnic Institute, at Mexia, with 
an able faculty and a large number of students. The Baptist, Methodist, 
Presbyterian, and Christian denominations have organized churches and 
houses of worship, and there are one or more church buildings in every 
neighborhood in the county. On the question of prohibition of the sale of 
intoxicating liquors, lately submitted to a vote, under the local option act, 
the rural districts were found to favor the measure, which, however, was 
defeated by a small preponderance of ballots. The county has a handsome 
court house of the latest style of architecture, has no debt, and the county 
tax is twenty cents on the one hundred dollars. The population, as a rule, 
are peaceable and law-abiding, and the percentage of crime is small. In 
the summer and fall, on or near the streams and in the bottoms, malarial 
disease of a mild type is more or less common, but the greater part of the 
county is, in large measure, exempt from causes of malaria, and the general 
health is excellent. 



LIVE OAK COUNTY 

Is in north latitude 28 deg. 20 min., and west longitude 9S deg. 10 min., 
and Oakville, the county seat, is about 60 miles northwest of the port of 
Corpus Christi. Area, 1117 square miles. 

Population in 1870 852 

Population in 1880 (4 per cent colored) 1,994 

No assessment of property in 1870. 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $749,251 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,168,851 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 492,880 

About three-fourths of the area is undulating and the remainder nearly 
level, and covered, for the most part, on the uplands, with a growth, more 
or less dense, of scrubby mesquite trees, and along the streams with live 
oak, elm, mulberry, cottonwood and hackberry. The mesquite timber ia 
valuable both for fuel and fencing, as it burns readily and with intensa 
heat, and is one of the most durable of woods. There is good authority 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — LIVE OAK COUNTY. ltf 7 

for the statement that fence posts of this timber are found to be as sound, 
apparently, at the end of twenty-five years as when first made. 

The Nueces river flows through the county and forms a junction near 
the centre with the Frio and Atascosa rivers, and these streams and their 
many tributaries furnish a well-distributed and unfailing supply of water 
for stock. Wells, tanks and cisterns are all used as a means of supplv of 
water for domestic purposes, but that from wells is, in some places, slightly 
brackis 1 Prof. Shumard, at one time State Geologist, declared the water 
of the sulphur springs at Oakville to be unsurpassed, in point of medicinal 
value, bv any sulphur water in the State. The mean annual rainfall is 
about 32 inches, and is abundant for all winter and spring crops, but is 
sometimes scant in summer, though farming is carried on with fair success, 
without irrigation. 

The soil of the arable lands, constituting about three fourths of the area, 
. generally a dark, mellow loam, easily tilled and very fertile. Until 
within -the last four years, farming has received little or no attention, and it 
: * estimated that not exceeding 400ft acres are in cultivation in the county, 
.otton has been planted only to a limited extent, and the yield, in a few in- 
stances, has been from one-third to one-half a bale to the acre; corn yields 
about 25 bushels, and millet about 2 tons; wheat, barley, oats and rye have 
not been grown sufficiently to ascertain their yield. Several kinds of veg- 
etables are successfully raised. The nature of the soil, the mildness of the 
climate, and the result of experiments so far made, induce the belief that 
the growing of fruits adapted to the latitude will prove very successful. 
Wild land is worth from 50 cents to $1.50 per acre and cultivated land, 
with improvements, from $3 to $5, but of the latter little is on the market. 
There are in the county about 17,000 acres of county school lands, the price 
of which is fixed by the county authorities of the county to which it be- 
longs, and ninety sections (57 600 acres) of State school lands, held at a 
minimum price of $1 and $2 per acre, according to the water supply, pay- 
able in twenty annual installments, with 8 per cent interest. Fencing is 
usually constructed of mesquite. posts and wire, and costs, for pastures, 
about $200, and for farms about $260, per mile. Pine lumber is worth 
about $40 per 1000 feet. 

Nearly the entire surface is covered with a luxuriant growth of the long 
and the curly mesquite grass, which affords abundant pasturage the year 
round, and stock receive no other feed. Stockraising is the engrossing 
pursuit, and the conditions would seem to be most favorable to sheep hus- 
bandry. The latest assessment rolls filed (1881) credit the county with 
6960 horses and mules. 15,980 cattle, 38,892 sheep, 9674 goats, and 1310 
hogs. Work horses are worth about $35; mules, $45; oxen, $40 to $50 per 
pke. All kinds of butcher's meat, except pork, are cheap at retail, and 
corn sells at 75 cents to $1.25 per bushel, and flour $11.50 per barrel. 
Domestic fowls are raised in large numbers. Wild turkeys, ducks, geese, 



198 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

quails, rabbits, and squirrels are abundant in fall and winter, and the several 
kinds of fresh-water fish are found in moderate supply in the Nueces river, 

Valuable sandstone, for building purposes, and soft limestone, which U 
easily quarried and hardens on exposure to the atmosphere, are found in 
considerable quantities. The latter is also valuable for lime. 

The county has, at present, no railroad within iis borders, but it is be- 
lieved that the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway, recently completed 
to Victoria, about 90 miles distant, will be extended westward at an early 
day, and pass near the southeastern boundary of the county. Oakville and 
Lagarto, the only towns in the county, have each about 350 inhabitants and 
an annual trade of $60,000. 

There are four schools in the county of medium grade, in which 299 chil- 
dren, within the scholastic age, receive free tuition during the free schoo] 
term, the same schools being kept open as pay schools during the remaindei 
of the scholastic year. The Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, and Roman 
Catholic denominations have church organizations, and religious conveni- 
ences are moderately good. 

The county levies an ad valorem tax of 45 cents on the $100, and has a 
floating debt of about $1000. 

The county is exempt from all malarial influences, is constantly swept by 
the strong gulf breeze, and the general health is exceptionally good. 



LLANO COUNTY 

Is in Western Texas, and Llano, the county seat, is about 28 miles west 
of Burnet, the present terminus of the Austin and Northwestern Railway. 
Area, 952 square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,379 

Population in ] 880 (66 colored) , 4,962 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $377,198 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,149,018 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,649,793 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 421,910 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 736,795 

The greater part of the county is marked by wooded hills and moun. 
tains, between and at the foot of which are narrow, level, sandy plats or 
dales, with a mellow, rich soil. The mountains, in many places, are com- 
posed of solid granite and rise into lofty peaks; and from the top of one of 
them — Dancer Mountain — a view is obtained of the whole of Llano and a 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. LLANO COUNTY. 199 

part of seven surrounding counties. The scene presents a panorama of 
mountain, plain, valley and dell, and is highly picturesque and attractive. 
A scattered growth of live oak, post oak, cedar, pecan, and elm is found in 
nearly all parts of the county, and in some places the mountain sides are 
covered with dense cedar brakes. The timber is, for the most part, short 
and scrubby, and suitable mainly for fuel and fencing, but is used for the 
building of log houses, and some of it is valuable for mechanical purposes. 

The Colorado river bounds the county on the east. The Llano river, a 
bold stream of pure, clear, unfailing water, runs nearly centrally through it 
from west to east, and Sandy creek flows across the southern portion. Cold, 
Honey, Little Llano, San Fernando, Johnson's, Pecan, Six - Mile, Elm, and 
Hickory creeks flow into the Llano river, and Coal, Silvermine, Pot, Wal- 
nut, Comanche, Crabapple and Cedar creeks into Sandy. Many of these 
streams are fed by bold springs, from which water for domestic purposes is 
generally obtained, though wells and cisterns are used in some parts of the 
county. The mean annual rainfall, as registered at the United States Sig- 
nal Service station at Mason, in the adjoining county on the west, is 24.90 
inches, and is so distributed as to insure abundant crops of small grain, but 
crops maturing in late summer in some seasons require irrigation, for which 
the facilities are ample and convenient on many of the streams. The lands 
most esteemed for farms are the valleys or " flats " at the head of the 
streams and at the foot of the hills and mountains, which, it is estimated, 
comprise about one-fifth of the entire area, and the soil of which is a light, 
rich, friable loam. Until within the last five years this was exclusively a 
stock county, but agriculture is assuming considerable importance. In 
1878 wheat yielded 20 bushels to the acre, and in 1880 the cotton crop 
was about 2000 bales. Cotton, corn, oats, melons and vegetables, in favor- 
able seasons, return a heavy yield. Late vegetables sometimes require 
irrigation. Peaches and grapes are successfully grown, and ribbon cane of 
large size has been raised, and the finest quality of syrup made from it. 
The crop of pecan nuts is large, and generally more abundant on alternate 
years. Wild land, suitable for farms, can be bought for from $1 to $4 per 
acre, and cultivated land, with improvements, for from $5 to $7; and the 
latter rents for one-third the grain and one-fourth the cotton. Ordinary 
rail fencing costs about $200 per mile; pine lumber, from $30 to $40 per 
1000 feet. 

'The stock interests of the county are represented by 7388 horses and 
mules, 51,150 cattle, 21,633 sheep, 1767 goats and 16,542 hogs. The 
abundance of post oak, pecan, and other mast renders the use of grain in 
fattening hogs unnecessary in most seasons. Mesquite and burr grass are 
abundant, and the rich pasturage, and the protection afforded by the moun- 
tains and woods against the "northers," enable stock to keep in good 
condition the year round on the open range. Sheep are fed more or less 
in severe winter weather, and work animals only when in actual use. 



200 EES URGES, SOIL, A>"D CLIMATE OF 

The price of work animals, and also of beef, mutton, pork, and other articles 
of food, is low. Deer, turkeys and quail are found in large numbers, and 
catfish, perch and buffalo are abundant in the larger streams. 

Silver ore has been found in several localities, and gold in the bed of Big 
Sandy Creek, but neither in paying quantities. Competent judges, how- 
ever, express the opinion that the surface indications of rich deposits are, in 
some parts of the county, very strong. Extensive beds of iron and 
copper ore exist in several parts of the county. Specimens of the former, 
from Iron Mountain, are said to contain 95 per cent of pure iron, equal in 
quality to the best Swedish iron; and specimens of the latter from Owens' 
mine, on the head of Pecan creek, assayed $300 worth of metal to the ton. 
This mine is now being worked with improved machinery. Limestone, 
granite, marble, steatite, and other valuable stone, exist in immense quanti- 
ties, but owing to the lack of railroad transportation, no quarrying has been 
done, except in a small way for home use. 

Llano river, more than 100 miles in length, and with fifty miles within 
the county, and Honey creek both furnish fine water-power, which has been 
utilized and applied to a number of flouring and grist mills and cotton gins. 

There is a high school at Llano, which is fairly well sustained, and public 
free schools are provided in the county for a scholastic population of 1143. 
The Methodist Episcopal, Protestant Methodist, Episcopal, Christian, Bap- 
tist, and Cumberland Presbyterian denominations each have a large number 
of members in the county, and conveniences for religious worship are mod- 
erately good. Moral and social improvement has kept pace with the increase 
of population and wealth, and law and social order prevail. Llano, the 
county seat, is beautifully located on the south bank of Llano river, and has 
about 500 inhabitants and a good local trade. The county levies a tax of 20 
cents on the $100, and has a small floating debt. The mean summer tern- 
perature is about 80 deg., the winter about 45 deg. ; the mountain air is 
bracing and pure, and the county is noted for the salubrity of its climate. 



MADISON COUNTY 

Is bound pd on the east by the Trinity River, on the west by the Navasota, 
and on the south by Bedais creek. Madisonville, the county seat, is twenty- 
eight miles, by wagon road, northwest of Huntsville, which is sixty-nine 
miles north of the city of Houston, by the line of the Huntsville Tap, con- 
necting with the International and Great Northern Railroad. Area, 460 
square miles. 

Population in 1870 4,061 

Population in 1880 (33 1-3 per cent colored) 5,395 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — MADISON COUNTY. 201 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $589,198 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 828,089 

The general surface is undulating, with few hills or extended valleys, and 
presents an alternation of timber and prairie, in the proportion of two-thirds 
of the former to one-third of the latter. The greater part of the timber 
is post oak, chiefly used for fencing, besides which there is blackjack, red 
oak, pin oak, hickory, cedar, and gum. The pin oak, red oak, and other 
varieties in and near the bottoms is of very large growth, and valuable for 
boards, house timbers, and mechanical purposes. On the borders of and 
in the river bottoms, is a heavy growth of pecan, which yields large crops 
of nuts. In the southern portion is a considerable growth of loblolly pine 
(pinus tceda), the amount standing May 31, 1880, being estimated by the 
special agent of the Forestry section of the United States Census Bureau, at 
233,600,000 feet, board measure. 

Bedais, Larrison, Caney, Pool, Iron, Young, and other creeks, together 
with a number of lakes of considerable size, afford sufficient stock water, 
but all the streams named cease to run in summer, though water in them 
stands in large pools in the dryest seasons. There are a number of springs 
in the county, principally on the Trinity river, but the main water supply 
is obtained from cisterns and wells, the latter varying in depth from 15 to 
100 feet. The Trinity river washes the eastern edge of the county for a 
distance, by the course of the stream, of about thirty miles, and is naviga- 
ble for from three to nine months in the year. 

The soil of the county is divided between a deep, black waxy on the riv- 
ers, a light, mellow alluvial on the creeks, a gray sandy on a clay foundation 
on the timbered uplands, and on the upland prairies, a dark chocolate, in- 
termixed with sand. The soil of the uplands does not resist well the effects 
of protracted drouth, but with the usual distribution of the rainfall, which 
here attains a mean of 40 inches per annum, is very productive, and one 
year with another, is more sure in its yield than that of the bottoms. Cotton 
produces ordinarily from 500 to 1200 pounds in the seed per acre; corn, from 
25 to 40 bushels; oats, 30; sorghum syrup, 100 gallons; millet. 1 to 2 tons; 
and all kinds of vegetables yield in like proportion. There are a number of 
fine orchards in the county, and very superior peaches, plums, and grapes 
are growm. Apples of early varieties, where proper attention is bestowed 
on Chem, do well. Blackberries and dewberries are indigenous to the soil 
and grow in nearly every part of the county in great abundance. Unim- 
proved land is worth from 50 cents to $2.50 an acre, and improved tracts 
from $2.50 to S10, and rent for from $2.50 to $5 per cultivated acre. 

The grazing lands are being rapidly converted into farms, but there is 
still sufficient to afford ample pasturage for ail the stock in the county, which 
consists, according to the assessment rolls of 1881, of 13,600 cattle, 3287 
horses and mules, 3692 sheep, and 12,733 hogs. Stock, except such as is 



202 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OP 

worked or ridden, does not require feed at any season of the year, though many 
owners feed to a greater or less extent in winter. Sheep, generally of the 
common breed, are usually healthy, and shear about four pounds annually. 
Work horses are worth from $40 to $75; mules, $50 to $100; oxen, $40 to 
$60 a yoke; beef and mutton, 4 to 5 cents; pork, 4 to 6; bacon, 12^ to 15 
cents a pound; corn, 50 cents to $1 a bushel; flour, $8 to $10 a barrel. Deer, 
turkeys, and squirrels are numerous, and in winter large numbers of water- 
fowl are found on the lakes and ponds. Several of the ordinary vai'ieties 
of fish are plentiful, especially in Trinity river and the lakes adjacent to it. 

A scholastic population of 987 is provided for in the public free schools, 
and there is at the county seat a flourishing high school, with a substantial 
school building and about 100 students. Every neighborhood in the county 
has a church, and church services are very regular. Madisonville has about 
400 inhabitants, two spacious church buildings, a handsome brick court 
house, and a block of four two-story brick stores. 

No causes of malaria exist, except in the river and creek bottoms, in and 
near which malarial attacks occur more or less in summer, but with this 
exception the general health is good in all seasons., Along the Trinity 
river are many mineral springs, principally of a chalybeate water, some of 
which are known to possess valuable medicinal properties. 



MARION COUNTY 

Lies in Northeastern Texas, adjoining the east boundary line of the State. 
Jefferson, the county seat, is at the head of navigation on Big Cyress bayou, 
a tributary of Red River, through Caddo and Soda lakes. Area, 418 
square miles. 

Population in 1870 8,562 

Population in 1880 (two-thirds coloreuj 10,983 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $2,751,354 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881* 1,453,991 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 107,419 

*This decrease is confined to the city of Jefferson, and caused by the diversion of its trade by the extension 
of railways. 

The general surface is gently undulating, rising occasionally into hills of 
considerable elevation, and stretching out into generally narrow but often 
extended valleys. The whole area was originally covered with a dense 
forest of post oak, red oak, pin oak, water oak, pine, cypress, hickory, black 
walnut, sweet and black gum, and many other kinds of valuable timbers. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — MARION COUNTY. 203 

The amount of short-leaf pine (pinus mitis ) standing in the county on 
May 31, 1880, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau, was 
1,187,200,000 feet, board measure. 

' Big Cypress bayou, navigable for nine months in the year to Jefferson, 
Black Cypress bayou, a deep stream running northwest and southeast across 
the county, and Little Cypress bayou, on the southern border, unite and 
form Clinton, Caddo, and Soda lakes, which open into Red River. A num- 
ber of perpetually running creeks tributary to these streams, many unfail- 
ing springs, and wells at a moderate depth, fui'nish all parts of the county 
with an abundant and convenient supply of pure water for all purposes. 
The mean annual rainfall is about 48 inches, and the seasons are usually 
regular, serious injury to crops by drouth being of rare occurrence. 

"With slight exceptions, the whole area is arable, and could be cultivated 
with fair profit, but much of the land is chiefly valuable for the timber. 
That near the lakes and in the creek and river bottoms is a rich alluvial 
soil, and that on the borders of the bottoms a lighter loam, on a substratum 
of red clay, both being very productive. With proper tillage, the bottom 
lands ordinarily yield, per acre, from 800 to 1200 pounds of cotton in the 
seed, and the uplands, from 500 to 800 pounds. The usual production of 
corn is from 20 to 25 bushels; oats, 30 to 50; millet, 1^ to 2 tons; and pota- 
toes, and all kinds of melons and vegetables are raised in great abundance. 
The county is especially noted for its fine fruits. There are two nurseries, 
a number of large orchards, and on almost every farm may be found most 
of the fruits common to the latitude, and of excellent quality. At the St. 
Louis Fair, in 1876, premiums were awarded for thirty-two varieties of 
apples and peaches raised in one orchard in this county. Wild land, 
suitable for tillage, is held at from $1.50 to $3 per acre, and improved 
tracts at from $3 to $7. Cultivated land rents for $3 an acre, or more 
generally for shares of the crop. Ordinary rail fencing costs from $90 to 
$125 a mile. The best heart pine lumber is worth $10 per thousand feet 
at the mills. 

Stockraising is only pursued in connection with agriculture, and herds are 
numerous, but usually small. The sedge is the most abundant of the native 
grasses, but Bermuda has been introduced and is rapidly spreading on the 
light, sandy lands. Switch cane grows thickly on some of the bottom lands, 
and affords good winter range, but stock requires the run of the fields and 
some feed for three months in the year, and work animals are fed at all 
-seasons. The rearing of improved breeds of both cattle and horses is carried 
on profitably by a few enterprising farmers, and bids fair to increase in im- 
portance. Work horses are woi'th abou., $50: mules, $75 to $150; and 
oxen $40 to $50 a yoke. Beef retails at 8 to 10 cents; mutton, 10; pork, 5 to 
7 cents per pound. According to the tax rolls for 1881, there are in the 
county 1819 horses and mules, 5472 cattle, 1302 sheep, 153 goats, and 5992 
hogs. The mast of the forest, in many seasons, is sufficient to fatten hogs 



204 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

for market. All kinds of domestic fowls are raised in large numbers, and 
large and small game and fish are abundant. 

Iron is found on the surface in many portions of the county, and the 
deposit seems practically unlimited. At the town of Kelleyville extensive 
iron works are established, where the native ore is manufactured into plows, 
stoves, hollow-ware, iron fronts, and pig iron. Large shipments of the latter 
are made to St. Louis, where it is pronounced equal to that from the best 
Pennsylvania ore. A wagon factory and a foundry, in Jefferson, both do a 
large business. There are in the county some ten or twelve steam saw- 
mills; a cotton seed oil mill in process of erection by a chartered company, 
with a capital of $75,000, and a large amount has been subscribed toward 
the erection of a cotton factory. 

The Texas and Pacific Railway passes through the county from south- 
west to northeast, and the East Line and Red River Railway runs northwest 
from Jefferson to McKinney, in Collin county. 

Jefferson is a town of considerable commercial importance, and is noted 
for its many substantial and costly private residences, as well as business 
houses. It has about 4000 inhabitants, ships annually about 30,000 bales of 
cotton, and its sales of general merchandise aggregate a large amount. 

The scholastic population numbers 1846, and public free schools are pro- 
vided in about equal numbers for white and colored pupils. There is a 
flourishing high school, with substantial brick buildings, in Jefferson, and 
also several other private schools, male and female, of high grade. The 
Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic denomina- 
tions have church buildings in Jefferson, those of the first three named 
being handsome, spacious and well furnished. In Kelleyville, and in every 
neighborhood, there are one or more churches. The population is, in a 
large degree, characterized by intelligence and social culture. 

The county has a bonded (railroad subsidy) debt of about $150 : 000, the 
validity of which is being contested in the courts The city of Jefferson, 
at present, levies no tax. The county tax is forty cents on the one hundred 
dollars. 

As in all heavily timbered countries traversed by numerous water-courses, 
malarial disease occasionally prevails to a greater or less extent in summer 
and fall, in and near the bottoms along the streams, but with this exception 
the general health is good. The pure water and balmy, bracing air of the 
pine forest are greatly conducive to health. The summer temperature 
ranges from 70 to 95 deg., and that oi winter i'roui 25 to t>5 deg, 



TEXAS EY COUNTIES. — MASON COUNTY. 205 



MASON COUNTY. 

The town of Mason, the county seat, is 96 miles north of west of the city 
of Austin, and 60 miles west of Burnet, the present terminus of the Austin 
and Northwestern Railway. Area, 908 square miles 

Population in 1 870 678 

Population in 1880 (1^ per cent colored; 27 per cent foreign). . 2,655 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $ 216,025 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 765,594 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,214,598 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 621,627 

The general surface of the country is diversified by rolling prairies, dotted 
here and there with small bodies of timber, level post oak uplands, and rug- 
ged, barren mountains. At the foot of the mountains are extended flats, with 
a small but dense growth of mesquite trees. Nearly one-half of the area is 
covered with post oak, live oak, blackjack, pecan, mesquite, elm, and cot- 
tonwood, which is generally scrubby, but much of it is suitable for fencing, 
fuel, and the building of log houses. The Llano river flows through 8he 
county from west to east, and the San Saba through its northwest corner, 
both swift, clear mountain streams. The chief tributaries of the latter are 
Tecumseh creek and Rauck's branch, and of the former, Big and Little Sa- 
line, Big and Little Bluff, Leona, Honey, Comanche, "Willow, Elm, Beaver, 
and San Fernando creeks, and Devil's river. These streams, distributed 
over the county, together with springs, which are very numerous, and wells, 
easily obtained, furnish an abundance of water at all seasons and for 
all purposes. The mean annual rainfall, as registered at the United States 
signal office at Mason, is 24.90 inches. During the past two decades the 
rainfall is believed to have gradually increased, both in quantity and uni- 
formity of its distribution throughout the year. 

One-half the county is susceptible of profitable cultivation, the land in the 
river and creek valleys, and at the foot of the mountains, the soil of which 
is a dark rich loam, being preferred for farms, though the black lime land 
prairies and the sandy post oak uplands are also cultivated to some ex- 
tent. Improved farming implements are not largely used, but are being 
rapidly introduced. Under ordinarily favorable conditions a yield per acre 
of from one-fourth to one-half bale of cotton "is realized, 10 to 25 bushels 
of corn, 10 to 15 of wheat, 30 to 40 of oats, 15 to 20 of rye, and 200 to 300 
gallons of sorghum syrup. Except when severe drouth prevails, all kinds of 
vegetables common to the latitude produce well. "Wild land, suitable for 
farming is worth from $1 to $1.50 an acre, and tracts with a portion in culti- 



206 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

vation and necessary houses, from $2 to $5. There are 50,000 acres of State 
and county school lands in the county, generally of an inferior quality, 
which are held at $1 per acre, payable in twenty years, in installments, with 
8 per cent interest. Land rents for from $2.50 to $5, or for one-third the 
grain and one-fourth the cotton. Rock fences are principally used, and 
cost about $200 to $350 a mile, according to the convenience of the mate- 
rial. Mesquite hedges have been successfully grown and have proved equal 
to the Osage orange for that purpose. Good pine lumber is worth $45 per 
thousand feet. 

Stock requires no feed except that furnished by the open range, nine- 
tenths of the grass upon which is the nutritious mesquite. The value of 
the range is greatly increased by the protection afforded by the timber and 
mountains against the severe winter winds known as "northers." The 
stock in the county, according to the assessment rolls of 1882, consists of 
49,187 cattle, 21.715 sheep, 4385 horses and mules, and 6713 hogs. The 
latter, in many seasons, receive no grain, but are fattened in the open range 
on the mast. Work horses can be bought for about $50; mules, $100; 
oxen, $50 per yoke. Beef retails at 5 to 6; mutton, 6 to 8; pork, 4 to G; 
bacon, 10 to 12 cents a pound; corn, 75 cents to $1.25 a bushel; flour, $5 
per 100 pounds. Domestic fowls are raised in large numbers, and deer> 
turkeys, and other game are abunaant. In the pure, clear waters of the 
Llano, San Saba and Devil's rivers are great numbers of blue and yellow 
cat, trout, bass, buffalo, and other varieties of fish. 

Surface indications of gold, silver, iron and copper ore are found, but 
little effort has been made to develop the deposits. Mining for copper was 
prosecuted to some extent some years ago, but lack of adequate capital and 
railway transportation compelled a suspension of the work. 

The Llano river is about 150, and the San Saba about 100 miles in 
length, and along their courses through the county there are a number of 
valuable mill sites, and water power of large capacity. There are two 
flouring and grist mills, and four cotton gins, driven by water power, and 
a number of blacksmith and wagon shops. 

The town of Mason has a population of about 750, and is mainly built of 
stone. It has four commodious stone churches, and a number of substan- 
tial business houses. For a scholastic population of 561, free schools are 
organized, the average attendance on which is 69 per cent. Religious 
services are held more or less regularly by the Lutheran, Presbyterian, 
Baptist, Christian, Methodist, and Roman Catholic denominations, and there 
are a number of churches in the county. The county has a floating debt 
of about $5000, and levies a tax of 70 cents on the $100. Mountain air, 
thorough drainage, and pure water combine to render the county excep- 
tionally healthy. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. MATAGORDA COUNTY. 207 



MATAGORDA COUNTY 

Lies on the Gulf coast, in north latitude 28 deg. 50 min., and longitude 
96 deg. west from Greenwich, and includes within its limits Matagorda 
bay and Matagorda peninsula, a narrow strip of land, forty miles long and 
about one mile wide, lying between the bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Area 
1428 square miles. 

Population in 1870 3,377 

Population in 1880 (64 per cent colored) 3,940 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870. ... $808,853 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,342,430 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,750,045 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 810,939 

The general surface is a low and nearly level prairie, sloping gradually to 
the bay shore, rising as it approaches the streams, and dotted at wide inter- 
vals with more or less extensive groves of heavy timber. The Colorado 
river, here 900 feet in width, flows centrally through the county from north 
to south, and empties into Matagorda bay. The stream has ample depth of 
water for navigation, but is obstructed five miles above its mouth by large 
rafts of timber, in some cases forming small islands on which there is a 
growth of trees. By cutting a canal, five miles in length, across the bend 
of the river these rafts would be avoided, and navigation for steamboats 
of six feet draft established for a distance of seventy-five miles. West of 
the river the principal streams are Tres Palacios and Wilson's creeks, and 
i east of it, Peyton's or Prairie, Live Oak, Caney, and Big and Little Boggy 
creeks, and Cedar lake, the latter, with Cedar Lake creek and Linnville 
bayou, forming the eastern boundary. The prairies in many places drain 
into large sloughs. Wells are obtained at a shallow depth, but the 
water, percolating through the alluvial soil, is not considered as good for 
drinking as that from cisterns, which is almost exclusively used. About 
one-third of the area is covered with a heavy growth of timber, consisting 
of live oak, pin oak, Spanish oak, ash, pecan, elm, hackberry, wild peach, 
wild china, post oak, and red cedar — the two latter in smaller proportion. 
Much of the timber is of large size, and is mainly confined to the bottoms 
of the Colorado river and Caney creek. The formation of the county is 
alluvial and presents a variety of soils. The prairies are in some parts 
sandy, but generally a tenacious black "hog- wallow," while the bottoms are 
divided between a stiff waxy soil, in some portions red, and in others black, 
and a deep, dark, mellow loam, known as " wild peach lands." These lands 
are all in a high degree fertile, and the stiff waxy lands in the prairie and 



208 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

bottom have great drouth-resisting capacity. Prior to 1865 there were in 
this county some of the most extensive and well equipped plantations in the 
State, and the " Old Caney " lands were famed for their great productive- 
ness. In many seasons corn produces from 50 to 75 bushels, and 
cotton, more than a bale to the acre. The soil and climate are specially 
adapted to the growth of sugar cane, and the bulletin of sugar and molasses 
production issued by the United States Census Bureau shows that in 1879, 
300 acres, planted in ribbon cane, yielded 270 hogsheads of sugar and 2000 
gallons of molasses. Pomgranates, figs, plums, dewbeiTies and blackberries 
are abundant every season, and with occasional exceptions, peaches as 
well. About every other year the pecan trees yield large crops of valu- 
able nuts. It is believed that with proper culture, apples of the early 
kinds, pears and oranges could be raised with success. The mean 
annual rainfall is 40 inches, and the seasons, as a rule, are regular. Unim- 
proved prairie land is worth from 50 cents to $5, and timbered land from 
$3 to $10 an acre. Improved tracts are worth from $4 to $15 an acre, 
according to the extent and character of improvements. Cultivated land, 
with houses for tenants, usually rents for one-fourth of the cotton and one- 
third of other crops. Fencing is constructed chiefly of plank and wire, and 
costs from $350 to $500 a mile. Pine lumber is worth $27 per thousand. 

There are many large enclosed pastures, and stockraising is an industry 
of great and increasing importance. The sedge, wire, bottom, and gamma 
grasses afford abundant pasturage for stock of all kinds, which keep in 
good condition the year round without feed The stock interests in 1882, 
according to the assessment rolls of that year, consisted of 4314 houses and 
mules, 69,296 cattle, 9341 sheep, 3133 hogs. Work horses are worth from 
$40 to $50; mules, $60 to $125; oxen, $50 to $60 a yoke At retail, in 
the local markets, beef is sold at 7; mutton, 8; pork, 6; bacon, 124; to 15 
cents a pound; corn, 50 cents a bushel; flour, from $8.50 to $10 a barrel. 
All kinds of domestic fowls are raised in large numbers. Wild fowls are 
numerous in winter, and there are many deer, turkeys, and a few bear. 
Both salt and fresh water fish are very numerous. 

Sea-going vessels, drawing 8 to 9 feet of water, enter Matagorda bay, 
and find safe anchorage within seven miles of the town of Matagorda, 
whence shipments are made by lighters. Vessels of Morgan's Louisiana 
and Texas Steamship Company run to Palacios, in the county, about 20 
miles from the town of Matagorda, at which point they load with live stock 
for New Orleans, Havana, and other markets. Some of the produce of the 
county is carried to market by means of small sailing craft, some is hauled 
to Brazoria, on the Brazos river, and shipped thence to Galveston by steam- 
boat, and some to Columbia, and Richmond, Wharton, or Bernard station, 
and shipped thence by rail to Galveston. The work of deepening the 
natural channel of 9 feet across the bar at Pass Cavallo, the entrance to 
Matagorda bay, to 12 feet, is being successfully prosecuted by the United 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — MAVERICK COUNTY. 209 

States government, and so far, $75,000 has been expended. A liberal 
appropriation for the purpose having been made by the last Congress, and 
further and adequate appropriations, as they may be needed, being assured, 
its early accomplishment would seem to be placed beyond reasonable doubt. 
There are ten public free schools for white and fourteen for colored chil- 
dren, at which the daily attendance' averages 70 per cent of a scholastic pop" 
ulation of 689. The county has little or no debt, and the county tax is 
twenty-five cents on the one hundred dollars. There is one church 
for whites (Episcopal) and one Methodist (colored), in Matagorda, and a 
number of others in the country. Matagorda, the county seat, is the only 
town in the county, and has a population of about 450. Health in the 
prairies is almost uniformly good; in the bottoms malarial sickness fre- 
quently prevails in summer and fall, but is usually of a mild type and yields 
readily to treatment. There is much refinement and social culture in the 
county, and the relations between the races are harmonious and peaceable, 
the rights of both being guarded and protected by a wise and vigorous 
enforcement of the laws. 



MAVERICK COUNTY 

Lies on the Rio Grande, and Eagle Pass, the county seat, is 165 miles 
southwest of San Antonio, by the line of the Mexican and Pacific exten- 
sion of the Galveston, Harnsburg and San Antonio Railway. Area, 1338 
square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,951 

Population in 1880 (94 colored) 2,967 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 No returns. 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $655,251 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 219,288 

t 

The face of the county is generally level, but rises occasionally into ranges 
of low hills, and is somewhat broken about the head of the streams. The 
high grassy plains which form the body of the county are dotted here and 
thexe with mesquite and unodegato bushes, and are traversed by water 
courses, which are generally skirted with a scant, scrubby growth of tim- 
ber; about one-fifth of the entire area being covered with live oak, elm, pe- 
can, and cottonwood. 

The Rio Grande and Las Moras. Elm, Piscoso, Cuero, and other small 
creeks supply moderately sufficient stock water, and for domestic purposes 
water is obtained from wells, cisterns, and tanks, and to a large extent from 
14 



210 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

the Rio Grande. The mean annual rainfall for the past five years, as reg' 
istered at the United States Signal Service station at Eagle Pass, has been 
13.06 inches. 

It is estimated that one-third of the area is suitable for cultivation, but until 
within the last few years little or no attention has been paid to agriculture, 
stockraising being the engrossing pursuit of the inhabitants. The soil of 
the Rio Grande valley is a light alluvium, which is very productive, and 
which, so far as tested, has yielded good crops of vegetables and corn. 
Cotton was planted in the county for the first time in 1881, with very satis- 
factory results, and it is believed that with a proper system of irrigation 
the valley lands and the black lands in the eastern part of the county would 
profitably repay cultivation. Irrigation can be easily effected along the val- 
ley of the Rio Grande, and those of several other of the streams. "Wild 
lands are worth from 50 cents to $2 an acre. There is no cultivated land 
for sale or rent. There is a large quantity of State school land in the 
county, which can be bought at from $1 to $2 per acre, according to the 
water supply, payable in twenty annual installments, with 8 per cent inter- 
est. Grazing lands can be leased at from three to four cents per acre, per 
annum, but in some instances they are held at higher figures, with an upward 
tendency. Posts and wire are used for fencing. Lumber is worth from 
$30 to $35 per 1000 feet. 

The mesquite is the most abundant and nutritious of the native grasses, 
retaining its substance and nutritive properties throughout the winter, and 
affording good grazing at all seasons. According to the assessment- 
rolls of 1882, there were in the county on January 1 of that year, 885 
horses and mules, 3527 cattle, 128,414 sheep, and 11,034 goats. The cli- 
mate, the short nutritious grasses, and the succulent herbage of several va- 
rieties, such as huaquilla or dwarf acacia, and the cactus, combine to render 
this a favored region foi sheep raising, which is the most important indus- 
try of the county. Sheep are generally exempt from diseases except scab, 
which is readily cured by means at hand on every ranch. They are usu- 
ally sheared twice each year, and the ordinary weight of fleece is from 2 to 4 
pounds. As is the case with all stock, they require no winter feed. Goats are 
wonderfully thrifty and prolific, and are raised principally as food for the 
shepherds. All kinds of meat are cheap. Game is still found in abundance, 
and fish are in plentiful supply in the larger streams. 

Eagle Pass, the terminus of a branch of thirty-two miles in length, of 
the Mexican and Pacific extension of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San 
Antonio Railway, is a growing town of about 2000 inhabitants. The scho- 
lastic population of the county is 513, and there are a number of public 
free schools, but the school system is not thoroughly organized, owing to 
the large Mexican population, which is indifferent to education and disin- ' 
clined to patronize the schools. The Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, 
and Presbyt3rian denominations each has a membership in the county, and 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. M'CULLOCH COUNTY. 211 

church conveniences are only moderately good. The county levies a tax of 
45 cents on the $100. and has little or no debt. The county is exceptionally 
healthful, and serious sickness is almost unknown. 



M'CULLOCH COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 31 deg. 15 min., and west longitude 99 deg. 20 
min., and Brady City, the county seat, is about 115 miles northwest of the 
city of Austin. Organized in 1875. Area, 1043 square miles. 

Population in 1870 173 

Population in 1880 (22 colored) 1,533 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $588,754 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 831,544 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 220,620 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 399,105 

Nearly the entire county is undulating prairie, with scrubby post oak, 
blackjack, live oak, mesquite, and cedar timber scattered here and there 
over it to the extent, altogether, of about one-eighth of its area. Much of 
the timber is suitable for fencing, and a smaller proportion for building 
purposes. 

The Colorado river forms the northern boundary, and San Saba river 
and Brady creek run through it from west to east, and from these streams 
and their tributaries, and from wells, at a moderate depth, is obtained a 
reasonably good and sufficient supply of water. Brady creek sometimes 
ceases to flow, but holds water in large pools in its bed in the dryest seasons. 
San Saba river is a bold, clear, unfailing stream, from 50 to 100 feet wide, 
and along the 36 miles of its course through the county are numerous mill 
sites, and the water power is estimated to be sufficient to drive the heaviest 
machinery. 

Not exceeding one-sixth of the area is susceptible of profitable cultivation, 
the soil on the upland prairies being chiefly a black, tenacious, waxy lime 
land, and in the valleys and near the streams, a mellow, dark loam, both of 
which have proved highly productive. With favorable seasons, cotton, 
corn, wheat, and oats return a fair yield, and the agricultural interests of 
the county are rapidly developing. Fruit has as yet received but little 
attention, but it is believed the soil is well adapted to its growth. The 
mean annual rainfall, as registered at the nearest United States signal office, 
at Mason, in the adjoinining county on the south, is 24.90 inches, and it is 
believed to have gradually increased in quantity, as well as in regularity of 
distribution, within the past decade. 



212 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Stockraising is the engrossing pursuit in the county, and the assessment 
rolls for 1882 show the number of stock to be as follows: 28,630 cattle, 
52,336 sheep, 3526 horses and mules, 487 goats, and 1701 hogs. The 
prairies are covered with a luxuriant growth of both the long and the curly 
mesquite grass, and large herds graze on them winter and summer, neither 
receiving nor requiring other feed. With proper care, the annual increase 
of cattle is about 33 per cent, and of sheep from 60 to 70 per cent. Hog- 
raising is very profitable, owing to the abundance of mast, and hogs fat- 
tened exclusively upon it have sometimes reached as high as 400 pounds in 
weight. Work horses are worth from $30 to $40, mules $45 to $60, oxen 
$40 to $50 a yoke. All kinds of meats are cheap, and corn sells at from 75 
cents to $1.25 per bushel; flour, $9 to $12 per barrel. Domestic fowls are 
easily and cheaply raised. Game is scarce, but the ordinary kinds of fresh- 
water fish are numerous in the Colorado and San Saba rivers. Wild land 
is worth from 50 cents to $2 an acre, and there is but little improved land 
for sale or rent. The Austin and Northwestern Railway is projected to 
pass through the county, and is completed to Burnet, about 75 miles south- 
east of Brady City. The last named place has from 150 to 250 inhabitants, 
two hotels, two livery stables, several stores, and a substantial and hand- 
some court house and jail, built of native stone. Camp San Saba has 
about 100 inhabitants, three stores, a post office, and a good stone building 
used for church and school purposes. Voca, a small village, has one store, 
a post office, and a cotton gin and grist mill, run by water power. The scholas- 
tic population for the year 1882-83 is 215, for which public free schools are 
provided. The Methodist and Disciples, or Christian, denominations hold 
religious services at several places in the county, and church conveniences, 
as yet scant, are improving. The county has a debt of about $40,000, con- 
tracted in the erection of a court house and jail, the validity of which is 
contested in the courts. 

The elevation of the general surface is about 1200 feet above the level of 
the sea, the atmosphere is pure and dry, and the county is noted for its 
healthfulness. 



M'LENNAN COUNTY 

Lies in Central Texas, and Waco, the county seat, and one of the chief 
interior cities of the State, is 188 miles northwest of the city of Houston, 
by the Waco division and the main line of the Houston and Texas Central 
Railway. Area, 1083 square miles. 

Population in 1870 13,500 

Population in 1880 (28£ per cent colored) 26,934 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. M'LENNAN COUNTY. 213 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $2,879,502 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 7,312,560 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 8,616,282 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 573,766 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 723,308 

This county occupies a central position in the great belt of black lime 
lands, with an underlying soft calcareous formation, which extends in a 
somewnat nortneasterly direction from the lower Rio Grande to Red river, 
and also in tne live oak region, here about fifty miles wide, which extends 
nearly north irom the gulf through the entire length of the State. In its soil 
and climate it presents in a large measure the rare combination of a wheat 
and a cotton producing country, being nearly equally adapted to each of 
these staples. The surface is elevated and rolling, two thirds of the area 
being prairie, and the remainder, lying for the most along the numerous 
streams, covered with a more or less dense growth of live oak, post oak, 
Spanish oas, biac£ walnut, pecan, cedar, elm, hackberry, and cottonwood. 
There are also considerable areas of mesquite trees, many of which meas- 
ure four and a half feet in circumference, and not only furnish the best of 
fuel, but are valuable for all purposes requiring a hard, durable wood. 

The Brazos river flows nearly centrally, from northwest to southeast, 
through the county, and its tributaries, Bosque, and South and Middle 
Bosque rivers, and Acquilla, Hog, Harris, White Rock, Little and Big 
Tehuacana, and Trading House creeks, and many smaller streams, are very 
generally and conveniently distributed over the whole area of the county. 
Unfailing springs of palatable water, but more or less impregnated with 
lime, are found everywhere, and wells are easily obtained, but cisterns are 
preferred and generally used for all domestic purposes. The mean annual 
rainfall is about 39 inches, the seasons are generally regular, and protracted 
drouths of rare occurrence. 

The soil of the upland prairies is for the most part a black, tenacious, 
waxvhme land- of the valleys, a dark, friable loam; of the timbered uplands, 
a light or gray sandy, with a substratum of red clay; and of the Brazos 
bottoms a deep, dark, or reddish brown alluvium. It is estimated that the 
farming lands of superior quality comprise four-fifths of the area, and with 
fair seasons and proper cultivation, the ordinary yield, per acre, is from one- 
half to one bale of cotton; 25 to 40 bushels of corn; 12 to 18 of wheat; 45 
to 60 of oats- 20 to 25 of rye; 45 to 60 of barley; and millet and hay, 2 to 
3 tons. Vegetables grow in great profusion with proper cultivation. 
Peaches, plums, pears, and grapes are extensively and profitably grown. 
Improved implements of agriculture, both for cultivation and harvesting, are 
in general use. Unimproved land, suitable for farms, is worth from $3 to 
$10. and improved tracts from $5 to $30 an acre. Cultivated land rents for 
from $3 to $5 an acre, or for one-third of the grain and one-fourth of the 



214 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

■cotton; or, when the landlord furnishes land, teams, tools, etc., for one-half 
of the crop. Ordinary fencing costs $135 to $200 a mile. Bois d'arc 
hedges are grown to a limited extent. Good pine lumber is worth from $18 
to $20 per 1000 feet. 

The native grasses are luxuriant and nutritious, but the area of open range 
has been considerably reduced by the encroachments of farms. Larg° 
herds are giving place to smaller ones of improved breeds, and stock in se- 
vere winters require and receive increased attention and feed. Stockraising 
and agriculture are now usually combined, with reciprocal advantage to 
both pursuits. According to the assessment rolls of 1882, there were in 
the county on the first day of January of that year, 12,809 horses and 
mules, 26,233 cattle, 37,026 sheep, 230 goats, and 7045 hogs. Work horses 
•are worth from $50 to $80; mules, $75 to $150; oxen, $50 to $60 a yoke. 
In the local markets butcher's meat of all kinds, as well as bacon, is cheap, 
and corn usually sells at from 40 to 75 cents per bushel, and flour $3 to 
$4.50 per 100 pounds. Game is not abundant, but a few deer and turkeys, 
and quail and prairie chickens in considerable numbers, are found. Buffalo, 
•cat, perch, and trout fish are quite numerous in the larger streams. 

The city of Waco, eligibly situated on a commanding eminence on the 
"west bank of the Brazos river, has a population of about 9500, and is noted 
not less for. the intelligence and public spirit of its citizens generally than 
for the commercial sagacity and energy of its business men. The city has 
fully kept pace with the rapid growth in population and wealth exhibited 
by the county during the last decade. It is the point of junction of the 
northwestern branch of the Houston and Texas Central, the Missouri 
Pacific, and the Texas and St. Louis Railways; and the Gulf, Colorado and 
Santa Fe passes through the western portion of the county, the railway mile- 
age within the limits of the latter being 135 miles. The city's estimated 
annual sales of general merchandise aggregate $4,500,000; the receipts and 
shipments of cotton, 50,000 bales; of wool, 700,000 pounds; of hides, 
400,000 pounds; of live stock, 7000 head; of grain, 162 car-loads; and of 
miscellaneous articles valued at $280,000. Its manufactures are represented 
by one cotton factory of yarns and seamless sacks, etc., one cotton seed oil 
mill of large capacity, three well equipped flouring mills, two iron foundries 
and machine shops, one manufactory of rotary plows, one cotton com- 
press, and an extensive manufactory of carriages, wagons, and agricultural 
implements. The city has many costly and tasteful public buildings and 
private residences, and is connected with East Waco by an iron suspensoin 
bridge over the Brazos river, of 475 feet span. There are also two sub- 
stantial railroad bridges across that stream at this point. 

Its educational interests are represented by a female college, conducted 
under the auspices of the Methodist denomination ; Waco University, under 
that of the Baptist; an Episcopal high school, and a Roman Catholic con- 
vent. Besides these, it has an admirable system of public free sohools, 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. m'mULLEN COUNTY. 215 

supported oy a special city tax in addition to the apportionment of the State 
school fund, with 1351 pupils enrolled for the year 1882-83. In the county, 
outside the city limits, a scholastic population of 4216 is provided with 
public free schools for white and colored children, in proportion to their 
respective numbers All the leading religious denominations have churches 
in Waco, many of them spacious and handsome, and there are churches for 
both white and colored in every neighborhood in the county. 

The city levies a tax of 75 cents, and the county of 12^ cents on the 
#100, and the latter has a considerable balance in its treasury. 

In some localities on or near the Brazos bottoms, in some years, a mild 
type of malarial disease prevails to a greater or less extent in summer, but, 
with that exceptiart, the general health is very good. Along the 1 three 
Bosque rivers, the valleys, mountains and limpid streams present much 
picturesque scenery, and the air is pure and salubrious. 



M'MULLEN COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 28 deg. 30 min., and west longitude 98 deg. 20 
min., and Tilden, the county seat, is about seventy miles west of south of 
the city of San Antonio. Area, 1176 square miles 

Population in 1870 230 

Population in 1880 (47 colored) 701 

No assessment of property in 1870 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $644,981 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 937, 156 

Assessed value of live stock m 1881 218,501 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 376,150 

The surface is for the most part gentlv undulating, rising here and there 
into hills of moderate elevation, ana again subsiding into broad valleys, 
and is about equally divided between timbered lands and prairie. The tim- 
ber, which is confined principally to the margins of the streams, consists 
of live oak, hackberry, ash. elm. and mesquite, and is usually small, and 
only valuable for fuel and fencing. The principal water-courses are the 
Nueces, and Frio rivers, both never failing streams, and the San Miguel, 
which sometimes ceases to run. but never goes dry, permanent water being 
found in large pools m its bed in the dryest seasons. Besides these water 
courses, there are a number of smaller streams well distributed throughout 
the county. From these streams, and from artificial tanks, where there is 
no stream at hand, and wells, an ample supplv of pure water for domestic 
purposes is obtained. Cisterns are also in general use. It is estimated that 



216 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

■one-half of the entire area is adapted to agriculture; but not enough farm- 
ing has been done to fairly test the productiveness of the soil. Small 
patches, in connection with stock ranches, have been cultivated, and the 
yield of corn, sweet potatoes, melons, and vegetables, when planted early, has 
been very satisfactory. The soil is light, friable, fertile, and easiiy tilled. 
and the indications are that it would profitably repay cultivation. The 
mean annual rainfall is about 28.45 inches, and crops usually mature well 
without the aid of irrigation, but sometimes, in the summer, the rain is too 
scant for successful farming. There are no cultivated lands for sale or rent, 
but wild lands, suitable for farms, can be bought for from 50 cents to $1.25 
per acre. There are in the county 320 sections (204,800 acres) of State 
school lands that can be bought for a minimum price of $1 and $2 an acre, 
on twenty years' time, payable in installments, with 8 per cent interest. 

Owing to the general mildness and equability of the climate, and the pro- 
tection from northers in winter by the well distributed belts of timber, and 
ihe great abundance and luxuriance of the native grasses, the county is 
admirably adapted to stockraising, and more especially to raising sheep. 
Flock-masters usually feed their high-grade bucks more or less in winter, 
but with this exception all stock live the year round and keep in good con- 
dition on the open range. The assessment rolls of 1882 place the number 
of stock at 3381 horses and mules, 15.616 cattle, 80,271 sheep, 8732 goats, 
and 445 hogs. Sheep are almost entirely exempt from disease, and the 
average weight of fleece is about 4-^ pounds. Work and saddle horses are 
worth from $25 to $40; mules, $30 to $60; oxen, $50 to $60 per yoke. All 
kinds of meat, except pork and bacon, is cheap at retail in the home marl*et, 
and flour costs from $5 to $6 per 100 pounds. Domestic fowls are usually 
healthy, and increase rapidly with but little care. Game and fish are 
abundant. The nearest station to the county seat is Twohig, on the Inter- 
national and Great Northern Railway, about 42 miles distant, and the trade 
of the county is done almost exclusively in the city of San Antonio. 
Bituminous coal of good quality has been discovered, but as yet no mining 
has been done. 

The public free school fund is apportioned for the current year to a schol- 
astic population of 131. There is one school in Tilden for white children, 
with about 100 pupils, and one for colored, with about twenty in attendance. 
The Methodist, Baptist, and Christian denominations have church organiza- 
tions, and attendance on religious services is good. The prohibition of the 
sale of intoxicating liquors has been adopted by a vote of the people, 
under the local option act, and is strictly enforced. 

The county levies a tax of seven-tenths of one per cent, ad valorem, has no 
debt, and has a substantial court house and jail completed and paid for. 

The temperature in summer rarely reaches 100 deg. Fahr., and seldom 
falls below 32 deg. in winter. There are no local causes of malaria, and 
the general health is almost invariably excellent. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. MEDINA COUNTY. 217 



MEDINA COUNTY 

Is in north latitude 29 deg. 20 min., and west longitude 99 deg., and 
D'Hanis, the chief shipping point of the county, is fifty-nine miles south- 
west of the city of San Antonio, bv the line of the Mexican and Pacific 
extension of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway. Area. 
1304 square miles. 

Population in 1870 2,078- 

Population in 1880 (6 per cent colored) ' 4,492 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $574,285 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,133.395 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,759,355 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 268,420 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 433,770 

The eastern portion of the county is marked in many places by lofty hills, 
which rise occasionally into mountains, and is traversed by many streams, 
the narrow valleys of which are covered with post oak, live oak, pecan, 
hickory, blackjack, cypress, and mesquite timber. The central part is com- 
posed of undulating plains, covered more or less thickly with a growth of 
small mesquite trees. The western part is hilly prairie, with here and there 
a scattering growth of live oak and mesquite. The southern portion is gen- 
erally a light loam, easily cultivated and moderately well timbered. The 
mesquite furnishes good fencing material, and is especially valuable for fence 
posts, while the mesquite bean is much esteemed as an excellent food foi 
horses and sheep. About one-half of the area is covered with timber, a large 
portion of which, though small, is suitable for fencing and many mechanical 
purposes. The county is watered by the Medina and Hondo rivers, and 
Quihi, Verde, Chacon, Seco, and Ranchero creeks, which are fairly well 
distributed. The Medina is an unfailing stream, but all the others named 
flow above ground only in the mountains, and disappear in depressions in 
the plains below. Water for domestic use is supplied chiefly by wells, 
which are easily obtained in all parts of the county. 

'It is estimated that the fertile farming lands embrace one-third of the en- 
tire area, and that about six per cent of that portion is enclosed in farms, 
ranging in size from twenty to one hundred acres. About one-half the pop- 
ulation are Germans, and small farms are the general rule. The soils are 
uivided between a heavy black waxy, a dark sandy, and a light loam, and 
under ordinarily favorable conditions, the yield per acre, is, of cotton, 
from one-third to one-half of a bale; corn, 20 to 25 bushels; wheat, 10 to 
15; oats, 35 to 45; sorghum syrup, 75 gallons. All kinds of vegetables 



218 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



common to the latitude and melons are raised in abundance, but in sum- 
mer they are frequently injured by drouth. The meat annual rainfall, as 
registered at the station of the United States Signal Service, in Castroville, 
the county seat, was, for 1878, 18.66 inches; for 1879-, 15.23 inches; for 
1880, 36.44 inches; and for 1881, 20.50 inches; the mean monthly fall 
being greatest during the months of April, May, July and August. 
Improved agricultural implements are largely and advantageously used. 
Peaches, figs, plums, pears, and grapes do well with proper culture. Pecans, 
walnuts and hickory nuts, and several kinds of palatable grapes, and the 
mustang grape, are indigenous, and the yield is, in most seasons, abundant. 
From the mustang grape is made considerable quantities of table wine, that 
is esteemed by connoisseurs equal to the best claret wine. 

About two-thirds of the entire county is covered with a luxuriant growth 
of mesquite and Texas blue grass, which afford good pasturage for 
all kinds of stock the year round. The climate is mild, and the effects of 
the northers, or severe three-day winter winds, is greatly modified by the 
protection afforded by the mountain ranges. Large areas of grazmg land 
are unenclosed, but stockraising is most profitably carried on in enclosed 
pastures, of which there are a number of extensive ones in the county. 
The assessment rolls of 1882 credit the county with 7852 horses and mules, 
32,699 cattle, 33,075 sheep, 1274 goats, and 3689 hogs. Sheep raising is 
highly profitable, sheep being unusually healthy. Fleeces from common 
Mexican sheep average from 2 to 4 pounds in weight, and those from 
Merino, 4 to 8 pounds. Goats are profitably raised in the mountainous 
parts of the county, and are regarded as furnishing the cheapest and best 
of meat for a family. Horses, mules, oxen, and also all kinds of domestic 
food supplies, can be bought at reasonable prices. In the unsettled nans of 
the county, turkeys and many kinds of small game are numerous, but large 
game is scarce. Catfish, buffalo, trout, and other varieties of fresh watei 
fish are abundant in the large streams. 

There are four flouring and grist mills and cotton gins, driven by steam 
which find profitable employment in preparing for market and home con 
sumption the products raised in the county. The Medina river furnjsnes 
valuable water-power, but it is utilized as yet only to run one mill at Castro- 
ville. 

The International and Great Northern Railway runs through the south 
east part of the county, and the Mexican and Pacific extension of the 
Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway east and west through tne 
centre. 

Castroville, the county seat, has about 600 inhabitants, and D'Hams, 
Onihi, New Fountain, and Devine are local trading points in the midst of 
thriving German communities. 

The Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, and Baptist denominations 
have church organizations, and church conveniences are fairly good in al 1 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. MENARD COUNTY. 219 

parts of the county. The State free school fund for the current scholastic 
year is apportioned to a scholastic population of 679, about 75 per cent of 
which are in daily attendance in the public free schools. There are in the 
county about eighty sections (51,200 acres) of State school lands, chiefly 
adapted to grazing purposes, which can be bought at a minimum price 
of from $1 to $2 per acre, according to the water supply, payable in 
twenty annual installments, with 8 per cent interest. Unimproved land is 
worth from $1 to $5 an acre. Most of the improved tracts are owned by 
Germans, who, as a rule, are loth to sell their farms, and there is, in conse- 
quence, hardly a quotable market price for such property. 

The county levies a tax of 12-| cents on the $100, and has little or no 
debt. 'The spirit of conservatism and obedience to law which characterizes 
the German population is in the ascendant in ^he county, and peace and 
good order prevail. Such is the salubrity of the climate that the county 
has become a resort for invalids, especially those suffering from lung 
diseases. 



MENARD COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 30 deg. 50 min., and west longitude 99 deg. 40 
min., and Menard, the county seat, is about 130 miles north of west of the 
city of Austin. Area, 866 square miles. 

Population in 1870 667 

Population in 1 880 (37 colored) 1,239 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 No returns. 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $445,884 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 687,038 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 148,435 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 319,432 

In the absence of statistical returns, applications for which have been 
repeatedly made in vain to three officials and several leading citizens of this 
county, only an imperfect description of its general features, and a meagre 
statement of its resources and capabilities can be given, but the following 
account, based on information gathered from outside, but believed to be 
reliable, sources, may be relied upon as being substantially correct: 

The San Saba river flows nearly centrally through the county from west 
to east, a distance of 50 miles, and is a bold, clear, unfailing stream, furnish- 
ing abundant water for stock and domestic purposes, and also water power 
of large capacity. The valley is from 1 to 3 miles wide, and alternates 
from one side of the stream to the other, and is in many places confronted 



220 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

on the opposite side by bold bluffs covered with timber. This valley is 
described as being almost a dead level, and in many places covered with a 
growth of mesquite trees. The soil is a deep and very fertile alluvium, 
and capable of being irrigated from the river at a moderate cost. In an 
article prepared for the edition of the Texas Almanac of 1867, by the Hon. 
James E. Ranck, at that time Representative in the State Legislature from 
the district including Menard county, the fact is stated that near the centre 
of the county, on the San Saba river, are found the remains of an ancient 
mission, or presidio, believed to have been occupied an hundred years or 
more ago, and that near it are unmistakable evidences that many thousand 
acres of the valley were at one time in cultivation, by systematic irrigation, 
and that wheat was the product chiefly grown. 

From the valleys on either side, the surface rises into rugged hills, covered 
with rich grasses, and affording excellent pasturage the year round. Stock- 
raising is the almost exclusive pursuit in the county, and is shown to be 
very profitably followed. The number of stock in the county, according to 
the assessment rolls of 1882, is as follows: 1527 horses and mules, 15,201 
cattle, 52,111 sheep, 2405 goats, and 2221 hogs. The mean annual rain- 
fall, as registered at the station of the United States Signal Service at Fort 
McKavett, situated in the county, was, for the year 1878, 21.88 inches; 
1879, 16.65 inches; 1880, 28.61 inches; and 1881, 21.72 inches. The 
highest mean monthly precipitation being in July, August and October of 
each year. 

Sufficient explorations have been made to make it reasonably certain that 
there are valuable deposits of silver ore in the county, but no systematic 
mining has as yet been done. The nearest railroad station is Burnet, tht 
present terminus of the Austin and Northwestern Railway, 80 miles distant. 

The general elevation is high, the atmosphere dry and pure, and the 
county is represented as being in the highest degree healthy. 



MILAM COUNT f 

Is in Central Texas, and Cameron, the county seat, is 18S-J miles, by the 
line of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, northwest of the port of 
Galveston. Area, 991 square miles. 

Population in 1870 8,984 

Population in 1S80 (22 per cent colored) IS, 859 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,35-1,208 

Assessed value of taxable property in 18S2 3,581,491 

Assessed value of nve stock in 1882 510,421 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES). MILAM COUNTY. 221 

The county is about equally divided between forests and prairies, the lat 
ter being carpeted with luxuriant mesquite grass, with here and there a 
scattered growth of mesquite trees and cactus. The southeastern portion is, 
in some parts, more or less level, a:;d covered with post oak and blackjack, 
and in others there are sand hills of moderate elevation, with a heavy growth 
of post oak, hickory, blackjack, and red oak. Along tne streams the 
white oak, pecan, sycamore, elm, hackberry, and cottonwood trees reach a 
large size, and are used to a considerable extent in the manufacture of lum- 
ber, in which one or more mills, run by steam power, are engaged. The 
Brazos river forms the eastern boundary, and Little river runs neany cen- 
trally through the county, from west to east, both unfailing streams, the 
former being one of the three largest rivers of the State. Elm and 
Pond creeks in the northern portion, and Brushy and San Gabriel 
in the southern, are all considerable streams, which, however, in 
seasons of protracted drouth cease to run, but never go dry, re- 
taining an abundance of water in deep pools in their beds in the dryest 
seasons. The earth being tenacious, many tanks or artificial lakes are con- 
structed, which, with the above named water-courses, and many smaller 
streams, very conveniently distributed throughout the county, furnish an 
ample supply of water for stock. There are a few springs, but wells, which 
are easily obtained, and underground cisterns are most generally used for 
domestic purposes. 

The soil of the prairies is a black, tenacious lime earth; of the river bottoms, 
a dark, stiff, or a lighter chocolate, alluvial; of some parts of the timbered up- 
lands, a compact, shallow gray loam, on a clay foundation; and on others a 
deep, white sandy land, apparently inferior, but in fact, free, and in seasons 
of average rainfall, fairly productive. These lands, taken as a whole, are 
noted for their fertility, the yield of corn in the river bottoms frequently 
reaching 75 bushels, and of cotton more than a bale to the acre The yield 
of cotton over a large part of the county the present year (1882) it is be- 
lieved will average a bale to the acre. Apples, peaches, plums, and grapes 
are successfully grown, and there are in the county a number of large or- 
chards of selected varieties of fruit. The dark, mellow, sandy soil around 
the town of Rockdale has been found specially adapted to fruit grow- 
ing, and much superior fruit is raised near that place. The mean annual 
rainfall is 39 inches, and is generally so distributed throughout the year 
as to insure uniformly fair crops. Unimproved land, suitable for farms, is 
worth from §1 to $10, and improved tracts from $4 to $15 an acre. Cul- 
tivated land rents for from $3 to $5 an acre. Rail fencing costs about $135 
a mile; plank and wire about $250 to $300. 

The extent and richness of the range makes stockraising profitable, and 
there are a number of large sheep ranches in the county, on all of which 
are a greater or less number of bucks of improved breeds, and sheep are 
being constantly graded up. Stock in the prairie sections is never fed, and 



222 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

fat, marketable beef is killed off of the open range at all seasons. In the 
woodlands, where the sedge grass prevails, the range, after the first heavy- 
frost, is not sufficient for s*ock. and they require winter feed. The assess- 
ment rolls of 1882 show, in the county, 9192 horses and mules, 24,472 
cattle, 18,801 sheep, and 15,640 hogs. Work horses are worth from $40 to 
$100; mules, $80 to $125; oxen, $60 to $90; and beef, at retail in the local 
markets, 8 cents; mutton and pork, 8; and bacon, 12 to 15 cents a pound. 
Hogs are generally raised in the woods, without grain, and are frequently 
fattened fox pork exclusively on the mast. 

The International and Great Northern Railway runs through the county 
east and west, and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe north and south, form- 
ing a junction at Milano. Cameron, the county seat, with about GOO 
inhabitants, has a substantial brick court house and a number of large 
business houses. Rockdale, with a population of 1400, is built chiefly of 
brick, and has a large trade. Milano has about 200 inhabitants, Davilla 
about the same number, and there are several other villages with from 50 
150 each. Near Rockdale, immediately on the line of the International and 
Great Northern Railway, are located the Rockdale coal beds, owned by the 
Austin and Central Texas Coal Company. The coal is bituminous cannel, 
and the three veins so far opened are at a depth, respectively, of 40, 71 and 
and 77 feet, and of a thickness, in the order named, of six, one, and seven 
and a half feet. The bed, so far as explored, embraces an area of something 
over 250 acres. Tests made at the Austin gas works show that the coal, in 
point of gas-producing qualities, compares with other coals as follows: 
Number of feet of gas obtained from one pound of Pittsburg coal, 4.10; 
McAllister (Indian Territory) coal, 4.50; Rockdale coal, 6.50. 

In 1881-82 seventy-eight public free schools were provided for a scho- 
lastic population of 2790, of which 78 per cent was the average daily 
attendance. Rockdale supplements the State apportionment by a special 
city tax, and maintains a system of city free tchools, which are kept open 
ten months of the year, with 232 pupils within the scholastic age enrolled. 
There is a school of high grade at Daviila, and several other private schools 
of primary grade in the county. All the leading religious denominations 
have churches in the county, and no neighborhood is without church con- 
veniences. The county has a floating debt, which is provided for by a 
special tax, now in course of collection. The general tax is 20 cents on the 
$100. After rainy seasons, in and on the borders of the river bottoms, 
chills and fever prevail in summer to some extent, but the general health is 
exceedingly good. In the timbered uplands and on the prairies, sickness, 
oth«jr than such as is common to all countries and climates, is of rare 
occurrence. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. MITCHELI COUNTY. 223 



MITCHELL COUNTY 

Is in Northwestern Texas, and Colorado City, the county seat, is 230 
miles west of the city of Fort "Worth, by the line of the Texas and Pacific 
Railway. Organized in January, 1881. Area, 900 square miles. 

Population in 1880 (5 colored) 117 

Population in 1882 (estimated) 3,000 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $589,959 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,100,987 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 170,801 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 295,635 

Undulating prairies, traversed by numerous streams, with broad and 
beautiful valleys, skirted by a scattered growth of scrubby mesquite, hack- 
berry, and wild china, interspersed with an occasional live oak, peean, and 
cedar tree, in some parts mountainous, and in others stretching out into 
elevated table lands, fairly represent the general features of this county. 
The Colorado river, one of the three large rivers of the State, flows nearly 
centrally through the county, and tributary to it are Willow, "Wild Horse, 
Lone "Wolf, Morgan, Silver, Red Bluff, Hackberry, and Champion creeks. 
Renderbrook, Hackberry, Abraham's, and numerous other notable springs, 
together with wells, which are easily obtained at a moderate depth in all 
parts of the county, furnish an abundant and convenient supply of water 
for all purposes. 

Agriculture has as yet received but little attention; too little, indeed, to 
fully test the productive capacity of the soil, which is about equally divided 
between a black sandy and a chocolate-colored loam, and has the appear 
ance of being very fertile. 

Stockraising is the engrossing pursuit of the inhabitants, and it is an 
industry of large and increasing importance. Nearly the entire surface is 
covered with the long and the curly mesquite, buffalo, and gamma grasses 
on w*hich cattle, sheep and horses keep in good condition the year round, 
nut only without other feed, but without attention. Cattle increase annually 
from 33 to 50 per cent, and sheep from 50 to 70 per cent, and the cost of 
raising them is trifling. According to the assessment rolls there were in 
the county on January 1, 1882, 1045 horses and mules, 34,733 cattle, and 
13,289 sheep, but it is believed that the assessment, for obvious reasons, 
was by no means thorough, and that the actual numbei *f stock is largely 
in excess of these figures. Horses, mules, oxen, milch cows, Deef and 
mutton can be bought at moderate prices. 

The Texas and Pacific Railroad runs through the county from east to 



224 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



west, and has four stations — Loraine, Colorado City, Westbrook, and 
Iatan. The latter place is situated about twenty miles west of Colorado 
City, in what is known as Paradise Valley, which contains about 5000 
acres of fertile land, and is strikingly picturesque and beautiful. Colorado 
City has about 1200 inhabitants and does a large trade with the surround- 
ing counties. The scholastic population of the county is about 119, and 
there are two public free schools in Colorado City, with about fifty pupils 
in each. The Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Christian, and Episcopal 
denominations have each a membership in the county, and church conve- 
niences, at present indifferent, are being gradually improved. The county 
has a bonded debt of about $36,000 (contracted in the erection of a court 
house and jail) and a floating debt of about $3000, and levies a tax of three- 
fourths of one per cent ad valorem. The city tax of Colorado City is 
one-fourth of one per cent ad valorem. There are no lands for sale except 
State school lands, which embrace every alternate section (640 acres) in the 
county, and which can be bought for a minimum price of from $1 to $2 per 
acre, according to the water supply, payable in twenty annual installments, 
with 8 per cent interest. The elevation above the sea level is high, the 
summer heat is modified by an almost constant breeze, and the climate is 
highly salubrious. A large part of the immigration is from the better ele- 
ments of this and other States, and peace and good order are in the 
ascendant. 



MONTAGUE COUNTY 

Lies on Red river, in west longitude 97 deg. 45 min., and Montague, the 
county seat, is thirty-five miles west of Gainesville, the present terminus 
of the Denison and Pacific Railway, and sixteen miles from the nearest 
station on the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad. Area, 891 squart 
miles. 

Population in 1870 890 

Population in 1880 (47 colored) 11,257 

Estimated population in 1882 14,000 

Assessed value o ' taxable property in 1870 $ 153,542 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,783,805 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,040,472 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881. 445,473 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 513,403 

The county is about equally divided between timber and prairie, and is 
broken in many parts, but contains large areas of level or undulating up- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. MONTAGUE COUNTY. 225 

lands, diversified by broad valleys and high, rolling prairies. A belt of 
woodland about fifteen miles in width, known as the upper cross-timbers, 
runs nearly north and south through the county, and consists chiefly of the 
low, heavy-copped post oak, interspersed with hickory and blackjack. Along 
Red River and some of the other streams is a heavy growth of water oak, 
walnut, pecan, and cottonwood. Red River and Belknap, Denton, Clear, 
Elm, Farmer, Sandy, Beaver, Saline, Freestone, and Clear creeks are the 
principal water-courses, and are very generally distributed throughout the 
the county. There is a large number of unfailing springs, and wells of 
good water can be obtained in all parts of the county at an average depth 
of 85 feet. The mean annual rainfall is 30.23 inches, and is usually so dis- 
tributed that protracted drouths are uncommon. 

About three-fifths of the county is susceptible of profitable cultivation, 
the leading soils being a reddish loam, a gray sandy on a clay foundation, 
black waxy, and dark sandy. Improved agricultural implements are used 
to a limited extent. Ordinarily the yield, per acre, is, of cotton, one-third to 
three- fourths of a bale; corn, 20 to 40 bushels; wheat, 15; oats, 40 to 60; rye, 
15 to 20; and millet 2 tons. All ordinary garden vegetables are raised in 
abundance, and peaches, apples, pears, and plums, with proper attention, 
yield well, and the fruit reaches a large size. Wild land of good quality, 
and easy to reduce to cultivation, ranges in value from $1 to $5 an acre, 
and improved land from $5 to $10. There are large bodies of State 
school land in the county which can be bought at a minimum price of from 
$1 to $2 per acre, payable in 20 annual installments, with 8 per cent interest. 
Improved land rents for from $3 to $4 an acre. Ordinary rail fencing costs 
from $125 to $145 per mile, and post and wire from $135 to $175. Osage 
orange is used for hedges to some extent, and has proved valuable for the 
purpose. Bine lumber is worth about $34 pei 1000 feet. 

The common sedge and mesquite are the chief varieties of grass, and are 
very abundant. They afford rich pasturage, and large quantities of hay are 
cut from the prairies for winter feed. Range stock is not usually fed at all 
in the winter, but in the severest weather would be the better of some feed. 
The assessment rolls of 1882 credit the countv with 7792 horses and mules, 
36,084 cattle, 7941 sheep, 714 goats, and 10,963 hogs. The latter are 
raised almost entirely in the forest, the mast of which is, in many seasons, 
sufficient to fatten them for pork. Sheep are generally free from disease, 
are of the common breeds, and the usual weight of fleece is about four 
pounds. Angora goats have been successfully introduced and do well. 
Work Uorses are worth about $60; mules. $75- oxen, $60 a yoke. The usual 
price of beef at retail is 5 to 8 cents; mutton, 8; pork, 8; bacon, 15; corn, 
50 cents to $1; flour, $5 per 100. Domestic fowls are raised in large num- 
bers with but little care and at a nominal expense. Wild geese, plover, 
and quail are plentiful, and there are a few deer and turkeys. The common 
varieties of small fresh-water fish are numerous in Red River. 
15 



226 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE 017 

There are in tl e CDunty a number of flouring and saw mills run by steam 
power, but hardly enough to supply the local demand for flour and lumber. 
The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway passes through the southwestern 
corner of the county. Montague lias 500 inhabitants; St. Joe, 350; Forest- 
burg, 200; Queen Peak, 250; Spanish Fort, 250; Eagle Point, 150; Salt 
Creek Station, 100. 

There are surface indications of the presence of extensive deposits of iron 
and copper ore, and stone coal; and silver, with traces of gold, has been dis- 
covered. Mining for copper and silver is now being prosecuted on a 
limited scale, with prospects of good financial results. Petroleum is also 
believed to exist in paying quantities, but as yet no boring has been done. 

Free schools are provided, for the year 1882-83, for a scholastic popula- 
tion of 2488, and there is a private school in Montague with 150 pupils in 
attendance. The Methodist, Baptist (Primitive and Missionary). Presbyte- 
rian (Old and New School), and Christian denominations all have organized 
churches, and church conveniences are good in most parts of the county. 
The county levies a tax of sixty-five cents on the one hundred dollars, and 
has a debt of about $6000, a balance due on the county court house. The 
general elevation is high, and the general health of the county is up to the 
standard of any portion of the State. The social rnd moral progress of 
the county has kept pace with its material development, and the law is 
enforced, and life and property are safe. 



MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 

Willis, the chief shipping point of this county, is 47 miles north of the 
city of Houston, by the line of the International and Great Northern Rail- 
way, and Montgomery, the county seat, is 96 miles from the same city, 
by a branch of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe, connecting with the 
Houston and Texas Central Railway. Area, 1054 square miles. 

Population in 1870 6,483 

Population in 1880 (51 per cent colored) ± 0,154 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,326,352 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,431,987 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,977,114 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 47,150 

The northern and western portions of the county are high and rolling, 
the eastern and southern, level and lower, and three-fifths of the area was 
originally covered with a heavy forest growth, consisting of post oak, white 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. MONTGOMERY COUNTY. 227 

oak, walnut, magnolia, ash, hickory, hackberry, and many other varieties of 
hard woods. According to the Forestry Bulletin of the United States Cen- 
sus Bureau, tnere was standing in the county on May 31, 1880, of the lob- 
lolly piTte (pmu3 tceda) 2,326,400,000 feet, board measure. The San Jacinto 
river, and Big and Little Lake, Mill, Spring, Peach, and Big and Little Ca- 
ney creeks, all large bold streams, distribute the water supply pretty gener- 
ally ovei ihe county. In the sandy lands, springs are numerous, and wells 
of pare 1'recstone water can be had by digging from seventeen to twenty- 
five feet, m the black lands the water is somewhat impregnated with lime, 
but is cool, pure, and not unpalatable. The mean annual rainfall is about 
45 inches, and the seasons are, as a rule, regular. 

The soils are varied, and for the most part very productive. The allu- 
vial wild peach, and hammock lands on the streams, and the black waxy 
prairie uplands are most highly asteemed for farms. In some portions a 
black sandy soil predominates; in the post oak uplands, a gray soil on a clay 
foundation ; while in the pine forests the soil is light, and chiefly valuable 
for the timber. With ordinary cultivation, and the usual seasons, cotton 
produces from one-third to three-fourths of a bale per acre; corn, 30 to 60 
bushels; oats, 30 to 40. Hammock and bottom lands will yield from 1000 
to 1200 pounds of sugar, or 8 to 10 barrels of molasses, per acre. Potatoes, 
melons, and all kinds of vegetables yield in great abundance. There are 
many large orchards in the county and much fine fruit is raised; peaches, 
plums, and grapes especially growing to large size and possessing a fine 
flavor. 

Unimproved farming land sells for from $1.50 to $10 per acre, and im- 
proved tracts for from $5 to $12. Cultivated land rents for from $2 to $4 
per acre, or for one-third the corn and one-fourth the cotton. Farm hands 
are paid about $12.50 per month, and board; but the share system of farm- 
ing is most general, and reliable tenants are in great demand on liberal 
terms. There is a number of Toles in the . county, who have proved a 
great acquisition to the farming interests. Sedge is the principal variety 
of native grass on the uplands, but in the bottoms of many of the streams 
there is a heavy growth of switch cane which affords good winter pasturage, 
and marketable beeves are killed from the range during the whole winter. 
The range has greatly improved within the last few years, many large herds 
having been driven west. Stockraising is not pursued as a separate busi- 
ness, the number of stock being, as shown by the assessment roils of 1882, 
10,130 cattle, 2165 horses and mules, 705 sheep, 239 goats, and 4480 hogs. 
Work horses are worth from $40 to $75; mules, $50 to $100; oxen, $40 
to $50 per yoke; beef retails at from 4 to 6 cents; mutton, 4 to 5; pork, 4 
to 5; bacon, 10 to 15 cents a pound; corn, 50 to 75; flour, $3,50 to $5 per 
hundred pounds. Deer and turkeys are rather plentiful. There are some 
bear, and many prairie hens and quail, and in the winter, ducks are found 
in every lake and stream. Almost every variety of fresh water fish is abund 
ant. and the German carp have been introduced with success. 



228 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

T!->e International and Great Northern Railway runs north and south 
tfrrough the county; the Houston, East and West Texas Narrow G-uage rung 
through the eastern border, and a branch of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fa 
from the west to the county seat. Montgomery, with a population of 600, 
and Willis, with a population of 900, are the principal towns. There are 
two wagon and two plow factories, both large, and forty-five steam saw 
mills in the county. Good pine lumber is worth $12 per thousand at the 
mills. There is valuable water power on several of the streams, but owing 
to the great abundance and convenience of fuel, steam is generally used as 
a motor. Surface indications of iron ore have been found, and about 2£ 
miles south of the county seat is an elevated point known as the " Iron 
Mound," from the ore it is believed to contain. No mining has, however, 
as yet been attempted. 

The average daily attendance on the public free schools is about 70 per 
cent of a scholastic population of 1500, and there are three pay high schools 
and one chartered academy, all well conducted and with a good attendance. 
Religious services are held regularly by the Baptist, Methodist, Christian, 
Presbyterian, and Episcopal denominations, and nearly every neighborhood 
has one or more churches. The county has a debt of about $3000, which is 
being rapidly paid off, and the county tax is twenty cents on the one hun- 
dred dollars. The county has long been distinguished for the intelligence, 
hosDitality, and conservative sentiment of its people. The rights of white 
and colored citizens are equally protected and enforced. As in all heavily 
timbered, well watered counties in the temperate zone, malarial affections 
are more or less common, in some seasons, along the water-courses, but on 
all the uplands of the county the general health is very good. 



MORRIS COUNTY. 

This county lies in the northeastern corner of the State, and is separated 
from Red River by the county of Bowie, and from the east boundary line 
of the State by the county of Cass. It was formed, in 1875, of a portion of 
Titus. Area, 2G7 square miles. 

Population in 1880 (40 per cent colored) 5,032 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $570,845 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 81,817 

This, the smallest county in the State, is 30 miles in length, with an 
average width of about 9 miles, and the entire area is covered with dense 
forests. The northern part is slightly undulating, and the southern some- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — MORRIS COUNTY. 229 

what hilly and broken. Sulphur river forms the north, and Cypress creek 
the south boundary, the former flowing into Red River directly, and the 
latter through Caddo lake; and these streams, and Boggy, Briton's, and 
Beaver creeks, and a number of other smaller streams, distribute an abun 
dant and convenient water supply over the entire county. Pure water for 
domestic purposes is obtained from springs, which are very numerous, and 
also from wells, which are obtained at a shallow depth in most parts of the 
county. The mean annual rainfall is 46 inches, and the seasons, as a rule, 
are propitious for diversified farming. 

The forest growth, much of which is large, includes pine, post oak, red 
oak, hickory, walnut, blackjack, sweet gum, ash, elm, haw, chinquapin, 
dogwood, sumac, and cherry. Of the short-leaf pine (pinus mitis), there 
was standing in the county on May 31, 1S80, according to the Forestry 
Bulletin of the United SLates Census Bureau, 729,000,000 feet, board 
measure. 

Fully nine-tenths of the county is suitable for farms, the soil varying 
from a dark, rich alluvium on the creeks and in the bottoms, to gray, sandy 
land on the uplands, and in the more elevated parts of the county, a choco- 
late-colored soil, largely impregnated with iron. Not exceeding one-tenth 
of the county is in cultivation, and farms vary in size from 20 acres to 250. 
The production per acre, under ordinarily favorable conditions and proper 
tillage, is, of cotton, from one-third to two-thirds of a bale; corn, 25 to 30 
bushels; wheat, 10 to 15; oats, 25 to 40; rye, 15 to 25; barley, 30 to 50; 
molasses, 250 gallons; sorghum syrup, 200; potatoes, Irish, 100 bushels; 
sweet, 250 to 300; and all vegetables common to the latitude yield in like 
abundance. There are a large number of orchards of apples, peaches, and 
plums. With proper attention all the ordinary varieties of fruit trees make 
a vigorous growth and bear well. Good unimproved land is worth from 
$1 to $5 per acre, and improved tracts from $3 to $15, according to the 
valu,e of the improvements. Improved land usually rents for from $2 to 
$4 per acre. 

The county is not well adapted to stockraising. which is enly carried on 
in a small way, in connection with agriculture. The prevailing grass is 
sedge, which affords indifferent winter pasturage, but there is on several of 
the streams a heavy growth of switch cane, on which cattle especially 
keep in fair condition during the winter. Cattle and sheep require the run 
of the fields, and also some feed in the severest winter weather, but at other 
seasons they find ample pasturage on the open woodland range. 

The number of stock in the county, as assessed in 1881, is: 1354 horses 
and mules, 4072 cattle, 558 sheep, and 817S hogs. Work horses can be 
bought for $50; mules, $60 to 880; oxen, §50 to $60 per yoke. At 
retail, in the home market, beef usually sells at from 4 to 5 cents a pound; 
mutton, 6 to S; pork, 4 to 6; bacon, 12^; corn, 50 to 75 cents a bushel; 
flour, $7 to $9 per barrel. Deer, turkeys, squirrels, opossums, raccoons, 



230 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

quail, ducks and geese (in winter), plover, and snipe are abundant, and a 
few woodcock are also found. Many varieties of fresh-water fish are 
numerous in the rivers, lakes, and creeks, and there are several ponds 
stocked with German carp. 

The Missouri Pacific and the Texas and St. Louis Railways run through 
the county from east to west, the former having two stations, Langertield 
and Coson, and the latter two, Belden and Morristown. The manufac- 
turing interests of the county are represented by one cotton gin manufactory, 
two furniture factories, four saw mills, five grist mills, and qne 'flouring 
mill, all driven by steam, and a large tannery. Iron ore abounds in the 
county, and is believed to be of a valuable quality, but the extent and value 
of the deposits have not as yet been determined by mining. For a scho- 
lastic population of 893, there are public free schools in every neighborhood, 
ana, at the expiration of the free school term, most of the scnools continue 
as private schools for the remainder of the scholastic year. The Baptist, 
Cumberland Presbyterian, Christian, and Methodist denominations have 
church organizations, and the latter has six churches, which are, however, 
used in common by all denominations. 

The county levies a tax of six-tenths of one per cent ad valorem, and has 
a small floating debt, which is being rapidly extinguished. 

The general tone of the community is moral and conservative, and 
peace and social order prevail. 

In and near tne bottoms malarial attacks occur to a greater or less extent 
in summer and fall, but the general elevation (600 feet) above the sea level, 
the thorough drainage, the pure water, much of it strong chalybeate, and 
the absence of marshes, combine to render the county generally healthy. 



NACOGDOCHES COUNTY 

Lies in the shape of a wedge, with the point at the junction of Attoyac 
bayou and Angelina river, which streams bound it on three sides. Nacog 
doches, the county seat, is about 135 miles, by the line of the Houston and 
East and West Texas Railroad, north-northeast of the city of Houston. 
Area, 97-1 square miles. 

Population in 1870 9.614 

Population in 1880 (26 per cent colored) 11,590 

Assessed value of taxable oroperty in 1870 $1,731,906 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,097,731 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,136,990 

Assessed value of live stock in 1 882 256,071 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. NACOGDOCHES COUNTY. 231 

The general surface presents an alternation of hills and valleys, tra- 
versed by many water- courses, and the entire area not cleared for farms is 
clothed with a heavy forest growth, consisting of the several kinds of oak, 
and of pine, hickory, walnut, blackjack, sassafras, gum, and other varieties. 
According to the Forestry Bulletin No. 1, issued by the United States Cen- 
sus Bureau, there was standing, in the county, on May 31, 1880, of the long- 
leaf pine (ptnus Australis), 1,216,000,000 feet, board measure; of the short- 
leaf pine [pinus mitw), 1,555,200,000 feet, and of the loblolly pine (pinus 
twda), 35,500,000 feet. Naconichi, Guajatole, and Amoladeras creeks, 
flowing into Attoyac bayou, and Carrizo, Visitador, and Shawnee creeks, 
and Alazan, Loco and Lanana bayous, flowing into Angelina river, together 
with other smaller streams and springs, and wells easily obtained, supply all 
parts of the county with unfailing freestone water. The Angelina river is 
navigable for a portion of the year for about 200 miles above its junction 
with the Neches. On the streams the soil is a dark alluvium, on about one- 
fourth of the timbered uplands a dark red, and that of the remainder, com- 
prising about one-half the entire county, is the gray sandy lands of the pine 
districts, generally an inferior soil, most valuable for its timber, though 
considerable areas of it are fairly productive, under proper cultivation. 
Under ordinarily favorable conditions, the yield, per acre, in the county is, of 
cotton in the seed, from 500 to 1000 pounds, 20 to 25 bushels of corn, 25 
to 35 of oats, 100 to 150 of sweet potatoes, 200 gallons of molasses, 75 to 
125 gallons of sorghum, and the yield of all kinds of vegetables is usually 
large. The soil and climate have proved peculiarly suited to the growth of 
apples, peaches, and plums, which, with ordinary care, yield abundantly. 
Blackberries and dewberries are the indigenous and unfailing products of 
the soil. The mean annual rainfall is estimated at 45 inches; regular sea- 
sons are the rule, and damaging drouths tne rare exceptions. 

Wild land, suitable for farming, is held ai from 75 cents to $5 per acre, 
and improved tracts at from $4 to $8. and the latter are rented usually for 
one-third of the corn and one-fourth of the cotton raised. Pine lumber is 
worth $10 per 1000 feet. Ordinary rail fencing costs about $90 a mile. 
The principal native grass is sedge, which affords moderately good sum- 
mer, but indifferent winter pasturage, and stockraising is only carried on 
on a small scale in connection with agriculture. Stock usually requires the 
run of the fields and more or less winter feed, but for about eight months 
in the year keeps in good condition on the open range. The assessment 
rolls for the year 1882 show in the county, 4247 horses and mules, 12,126 
cattle, 3187 sheep, and 18,814 hogs; the latter are usually raised, and in 
many seasons fattened, entirely on the mast. Work horses are worth from 
$25 to $60; mules, $60 to $100; oxen $40 to $60; beef at retail, 4 to 6, 
mutton, 4 to 6; pork, 5 to 7; and bacon, 10 to 15 cents a pound; corn, 50 
to 75 cents a bushel; flour $9 per barrel. There are a few deer and turkeys, 



232 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

and some small game, and the ordinary varieties of fish are very abundant 
in the streams. 

The Houston. East and West Texas Railway is completed to Nacogdoches, 
the county seat, a town of about 500 inhabitants, with a trade of about 
$200,000. Douglass, Lime Flat, Melrose, Chenno, and Martinsville are all 
good local trading points, with from 50 to 200 inhabitants each. 

There is much valuable water power in the county, but it is only partially 
utilized as motive power for saw mills, cotton gins and grist mills, of which 
there are a large number in the county. Iron ore of good quality is abun- 
dant, and there are strong indications of petroleum, which, in some places, 
flows to the surface. No attempt as yet has been made to develop these 
sources of wealth, owing the lack of railroad transportation which existed 
until a very recent date. 

Public free schools are provided for the white and colored children 
within the scholastic age, the number of which for the current year is 2120, 
and the average daily attendance is from 75 to 80 per cent. The Baptist, 
Methodist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal denominations 
have churches, and church conveniences are good in all parts of the county. 
The county has no debt, and the tax is fifteen cents on the one hundred 
dollars. This county was among the earliest settled in Texas, and has 
always maintained a high character for intelligence and morality. As in all 
heavily timbered countries in this latitude, malarial sickness is more or less 
prevalent in some seasons in the lowlands bordering the larger streams, 
but, with this exception, the general health of the county is very good. 



NAVARRO COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 32 deg., and longitude 96 deg. 25 min. west from 
Greenwich, and Corsicana, the county seat, is 262 miles west of north of the 
port of Galveston, dv ?he line of the Houston and Texas Central, connect- 
ing with the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railways. Area, 1055 
square miles. 

Population in 1870 8,879 

Population in 1880 (one-fourth colored) 21,702 

Population in 1882 (estimated) 24,500 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,885,765 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 5,476,393 

Assessed values of taxable property in 1882 6,039,409 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 665,785 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 760, 4S2 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. NAVARRO COUNTY. 233 

The general elevation of' the county is from 400 to 600 feet above the 
level of the sea; the surface is, for the most part, rolling prairie, and, with- 
out being broken and rough, is well drained. It has a frontage on Trinity 
river, which forms its northeastern boundary, for a distance of thirty-five 
miles, and Chambers and Richland creeks, both large streams, flow tlf rough 
the county, the one from northwest to southeast, the other from west to 
east, and unite near the southeastern corner. Tributary to each of these 
are a large number of smaller but unfailing streams, well distributed tor 
convenience of water for stock and general purposes. Where streams are 
not at hand, artificial tanks are easily constructed, which retain water in the 
dryest seasons. Owing to the slight inclination of the underlying strata, 
there are but few springs, but, for the same reason, water is easily obtained 
by wells, and overflowing artesian wells, in the opinion of competent judges, 
may be had by boring to no great depth. 

The bottom lands, frequently a mile or more in width, along all the 
water courses, are covered with a forest growth, consisting of hickory, pin 
oak, pecan, cedar, and Cottonwood. Mesquite is scattered extensively over 
the prairies in some portions, and post oak and blackjack are found in con- 
siderable'abundance on the sandy uplands. Cedar, large enough for fence- 
posts and telegraph poles, is plentiful in many of the creek bottoms. It is 
estimated that one-fifth of the area is covered with timber. 

In its geological structure, the county belongs to the chalk formation. 
The strata are thin and slightly inclined to the southeast, and being com- 
posed of successive layers of soft limestone, sandstone, clays and marls, 
give rise to a variety of soils. Lime and organic remains abound in the 
original deposits which, being well mingled by the action of the elements, 
render tne soils generally very fertile, while the different belts partake of 
distinct qualities whicn adapt them to different products. The black lands, 
wnicn are generally prairie predominate, and are considered best adapted 
to cotton, gram, and the grasses, and the sandy post oak uplands to the 
products of the >rchard and garden. Nearly the entire area is susceptible 
of profitable cultivation, and farms range in size from 75 to 200 acres. The 
county is well adapted, both in climate and soils, to diversified farming, 
and the average yield of cotton, corn, wheat, rye, barley, oats, millet, hay, 
sorghum, potatoes, melons, and all kinds o f vegetables common to the lat- 
itude, is up to the best standard of the State. Peaches, pears, and grapes, 
especially the first named, yield abundant crops of superior fruit. The 
mean annual rainfall, as registered at Corsicana, from September 15, 1874, 
to* December 31, 1881, was 39.35 inches, and it was generally well distribu- 
ted throughout the year Along the Trinity river are extensive groves of 
pecan trees, which bear heavy crops of valuaole nuts. Improved agricul- 
tural implements are used very generally, and witn great saving of labor 
to the farming interests. The land, Demg largeiy open prairie, is easily re- 
duced to cultivation, and fencing with wiTS'and one plank, on mesquite, 



234 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



cedar or post oak posts, costs from $175 to $250 a mile. Unimproved 
prairie land can be bought for from $3 to $10 an acre, and timbered land 
from $8 to $20. Improved farms, of from 75 to 200 acres in extent, are 
held at from $10 to $20 an acre. From $2 to $3 per acre is generally paid 
for rent of land in cultivation. 

Notwithstanding that the pasturage has been somewhat impaired by rea- 
son of the range being over-stocked, and by occasional burning off of the 
grass, there is still sufficient open grazing ground to render stockraising an 
important industry, though it is found to be more profitable in enclosed 
pastures. The ordinary prairie grass is at present most abundant, but the 
mesquite grass is spreading rapidly, and, with the Bermuda, which has been 
introduced, and is highly esteemed for its nutritive properties, promise, in 
a few years, to supplant all other grasses. Stock generally keep fat on the 
open range for eight months, and manage to subsist tolerably well for the 
remainder of the year, but thrive better with some feed and increased at- 
tention in severe winters. According to the assessment rolls of 1882, there 
are in the county 16,216 horses and mules, 39.774 cattle, 19,000 sheep, 12,- 
787 hogs, and 158 goats. Work horses are worth from $40 to $80; mules, 
$50 to $100; oxen, $50 to $60 per yoke; beef retails at from 6 to 10 cents 
per pound; mutton, 10; pork, 10; bacon, 15 to 16; corn, $1 per bushel; flour, 
$5 per hundred pounds. Domestic fowls are raised in great numbers, and 
with little trouble or expense. Large game is scarce, but prairie chickens, 
plover, and jack-rabbits are numerous. The many kinds of fresh water 
fish are moderately abundant in the Trinity river. 

The Houston and Texas Central Railway, running north and south 
through the county, and the Texas and St. Louis Railway (narrow guage), 
running east and west, form a junction at Corsicana, and there are, besides 
Corsicana, eight stations in the county, three on the former and four on the 
latter. 

Corsicana is situated on gently rolling, well drained ground, in an ex- 
tended prairie, about five hundred feet above the sea level, and contains 
about 5000 inhabitants, and is in every respect a prosperous, progressive 
city. Its aggregate trade, much of which is by wholesale, amounts to about 
$3,500,000; large quantities of goods being sold to dealers in the many vil- 
lages and trading points scattered throughout the county. Corsicana has a 
handsome stone court house, two large and commodious public school build 
ings, nine churches, many of them spacious and tasteful in structure, and a 
number of substantial business houses. Rice, Dresden. Kerens, Spring Hill, 
Purdon, and Blooming Grove are thriving rural villages, surrounded by 
prosperous farming communities. There are postoffices and one or more 
stores at Chatfield, Wadeville, Rural Shade, Birdston, Eureka, Pursley. Rich- 
land, Angus, Navarro Mills. Cross Roads, and Bazette, the local dealers 
usually purchasing their stocks of goods in Corsicana. 

The county has a large and increasing county school fund, besides the 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. NEWTON COUNTY. 235 

amount of the State school fund annually apportioned, and there are about 
90 free schools in operation, for a total scholastic population of 3733 pupils. 
The city of Corsicana has assumed control of the schools within her limits, 
and levies a tax of one-half of one per cent ad valorem for their support in 
addition to the State and county fund. Excellent buildings for white and 
colored pupils, separately, have been erected, and the daily attendance is 
something more than five hundred. In Corsicana, the Methodist, Cumber- 
land Presbyterian, Old School Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopal, and Roman 
Catholic denominations all have church edifices, and there are good church 
conveniences in every rural neighborhood. 

The county levies a tax of 50 cents on the $100, and has practically no 
debt; the city, a tax, including that for public free schools, of one per cent 
ad valorem, and owes a debt of $25,000, incurred in the erection of school 
buildings. 

The county is generally characterized by a high order of intelligence, and 
has a conservative, energetic, thrifty population. The general elevation of 
the county, its geological formation, and thorough drainage, render it, in 
point of health, equal to any portion of Central Texas. 



NEWTON COUNTY 

Lies on the southeastern border of the State, and is separated from Lou- 
isiana by the Sabine river. Newton, the county seat, is about 90 miles 
north of the port of Sabine Pass. Area, 875 square miles. 

Population in 1870 2,187 

Population in 1880 (35 per cent colored) 4,359 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $233,800 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 411,023 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 73,227 

With the exception of about one-twentieth, which has been cleared for 
farms, the entire area is covered with a heavy forest growth, and in the 
northern part is broken and hilly, with bottoms more or less wide border- 
ing 'lie streams, and in the southern portion generally level, but sufficiently 
undulating to afford drainage. It has a frontage of full eighty miles on 
Sabine river, and Big Cow, Little Cow, Caney, Boggy, and Big Cypress 
creeks, all bold, constantly running streams, flow across the county from 
northwest to southeast. There is a large number of smaller streams. 
Springs of pure freestone water are found in all parts of the county, and 
wells of the same character of water are easily obtained. The forests are 



236 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

composed chiefly of pin oak, water oak, walnut, cypress, mulberry, beech, 
hickory, ash, and pl^e, much of which is of large size. Forestry Bulletin 
No. 1, issued by the United States Census Bureau, estimates that the 
amount standing in the county, in 1880, of merchantable long-leaf pine 
(pinus Australis) was 2,112,000,000 feet, and of the loblolly pine (pinus 
tceda), 33,000,000 feet, board measure. 

About one-half the county is suitable for cultivation, a gray sandy, light 
soil predominating in the uplands, and a dark, sandy alluvial in the bot- 
toms, with occasional areas of black waxy and " rawhide " land. Under 
ordinarily favorable conditions, and with common implements of agricul- 
ture, corn yields 20 to 25 bushels per acre; cotton, one-third to one-half a bale; 
sigar-cane, six to eight barrels of molasses; sweet potatoes, 150 to 300 
bushels. Experiments made with the jute plant have proved successful, 
and it is contemplated to cultivate it on an extensive scale. Tobacco does 
moderately well. Peaches, plums, grapes, figs, apples of the early kinds, 
and all kinds of vegetables and melons, grow well and produce abundantly. 
The mean annual rainfall is 45 inches, and the seasons are generally regu- 
lar. Unimproved farming land is held at an average price of $2.50, and 
improved farms at about $5 per acre. There are about 100 sections of 
school land in the county, the pine timbered portions of which is held at $5 
per acre. Rail fencing costs about $90 per mile. Pine lumber is worth 
$10 per 1000 feet at the mills. 

The native grasses are moderately plentiful and nutritious, but are being 
gradually supplanted by the carpet grass, which is much superior in 
quality. Cattle, sheep, and goats are raised with very little feed, but horses 
and mules require to be fed all winter. Hogs are profitably raised in the 
river and creek bottoms, where they usually grow fat on the mast. Of late 
years the stock interests of the county have been somewhat neglected, the 
attention of tfee population having been more and more turned to cotton- 
raising. The assessment rolls for 1882 credit the county with 6696 cattle, 
1018 horses and mules, 1633 sheep, and 5226 hogs. Work horses average 
in price from $40 to $75; mules, $50 to $120; and oxen, $50 per yoke. At 
retail in the local markets, beef is worth from 5 to 6 cents per pound; pork, 
5 to 8; bacon, 12^ to 15. Deer, turkeys, and squirrels are numerous, and 
trout, perch, and catfish are plentiful in all the larger streams. 

Many of the streams afford valuable water-power, but it has as yet been 
but little utilized. A few shops manufacture wagons, plows, and furniture 
for neighborhood use, and there are a few saw mills operated on a small 
scale. The lack of facilities for transportation has greatly retarded the de- 
velopment of the agricultural and timber resources of the county, but more 
than one railway is projected to tap its immense pine forests, and with 
railway communication established with other parts of the State, rapid im- 
provement is confidently expected. Burkeville is the principal town, and 
has a population of about 200, and ships about 600 bales of cotton. A 



TEXA BY COUNTIES.— NOLAN COUNTY. 237 

number of smaller places are the centres of a good local trade. The scho 
lastic population of the county is 770, for which 33 free schools are provided. 
At Burkeville is established an academy, which is under the management ol 
able teachers and well attended. The Methodist and Baptist denominationa 
have each a large membership, but most other Protestant, denominations are 
represented, and there is a church in every neighborhood. In the Burke- 
ville precinct the prohibition of the sale of intoxicating liquors is strictly 
enforced, under the local option statute. The county has a bonded debt of 
about $3000 and a small floating debt, and levies a tax of 50 cents on the 
$100. In the uplands good health is almost invariable, but in the bottoms 
malarial sickness, in some seasons, is more or less prevalent, but it is gener- 
ally of a mild type and easily controlled. The people are law abiding, and 
life and property are well protected. 



NOLAN COUNTY 

Lies on the Texas and Pacific Railroad, and Sweetwater, the county seat, 
is 202 miles west of the city of Port Worth. Organized in 1881. Area, 
900 square miles. 

Population in 1880 (5 colored) 640 

Estimated population in 1 882 1,300 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $361,770 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 908,276 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 131,265 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 163,284 

The chief topographical features are high, rolling uplands, depressed at 
intervals into broad, level valleys, and occasionally spreading out into an 
extended, nearly level plateau. About one-half the area is covered with a 
scrubby growth of mesquite, post oak, cedar, walnut, Cottonwood, hackberry, 
and elm. Sweetwater, Bitter, Silver, Champion, Valley, Fish, Rildergan, 
and Mulberry creeks furnish an abundance of water for stock. There are 
a few springs, and wells, which are easily obtained at a depth of 25 to 40 
feet, are chiefly relied on to furnish water for domestic purposes. The 
mean annual rainfall is about 25.04 inches, and is usually so distributed 
throughout the year as to insure good crops of cereals, and other winter 
and early spring crops, but late summer crops frequently suffer from 
drouth. 

The soil is chiefly a reddish dark loam, interspersed with areas of deep, 
black waxy, lime land. Farming, as a distinct pursuit, is but little fol- 



238 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

lowed. Cotton has not been tested, but the average yield of corn per acre 
is about 25 bushels; wheat, 15 to 20; oats, 40; sorghum syrup, 75 gallons; 
sweet potatoes, 200 bushels; hay (from the prairie), 2 tons; millet, 2 to 3 
tons. All kinds of early garden vegetables are raised in moderate abund- 
ance. Fruit culture has as yet received but little attention, but wild plums 
and berries of all kinds grow in profusion, and it is believed that the soil 
is well adapted to the growth of domestic fruits. The county is well adapted 
to the use of agricultural implements, and they are used only to a limited 
extent. Wild land of good quality is worth from 50 cents to $2 per acre. 
There is little or no cultivated land for sale or rent. There are 275,200 
acres of State free school land in the county, that can be bought at a mini- 
mum price of from $1 to $2 per acre, according to water supply, payable 
in 20 annual installments, with 8 per cent interest. Lumber is worth $35 
per 1000 feet. Wire fencing (for pastures) costs from $100 to $150 a mile. 

Stockraising is the almost exclusive industry of the inhabitants. Luxu- 
riant grass covers nearly the entire surface of the county, and stock require 
no feed in winter, but live and keep fat entirely on the range. The num. 
ber of stock in the county, January 1, 1882, is placed by the assessment 
rolls at 10,754 cattle, 1711 horses and mules; 20,625 sheep, 319 goats, and 
747 hogs. It is believed that at the present time (November 1882) double 
these figures would more nearly appix)ximate the actual number. Sheep, 
mostly of the common breeds, are generally healthy, and yield an annual 
average fleece of about six pounds weight. Some attention is paid to breed 
ing Angora goata, and they are found to thrive well and increase rapidly. 
The averoge cost of work horses is about $30; mules, $50; and oxen, $50 
per yoke; butcher's meat of all kinds is cheap at retail in the home mar- 
kets, and bacon sells at 12 A to 16 2-3 cents a pound; corn $1.25 to $1.50 
per bushel; flour, $5 per hundred weight. Deer, turkeys, plover, and quail 
(native and Mexican) are found in large numbers, and there are also a few 
antelope and bear. Catfish, perch, and drum are moderately plentiful in 
some of the streams. 

The Texas and Pacific Railroad passes east and west through the northern 
half of the county, and there are three stations. Gypsum, or sulphate of 
lime, of very good quality, exists in large quantities. This mineral, by cal 
cination, becomes the plaster of Paris of commerce. The scholastic popula- 
tion for the year 1882-83 is 157, and there are two free schools, one of high 
and one of medium grade. Most of the religious denominations have a 
membership in the county, but as yet church conveniences are indiffer- 
ent. The county levies a tax of seven-tenths of one per cent ad valorem, 
and has no debt. The county is almost entirely free from malarial influ- 
ences; and the health is good. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. NUECES COUNTY. 239 



NUECES COUNTY 

Lies on the Gulf of Mexico, in north latitude 27 deg. 40 min.. and west 
longitude 97 deg. 50 min., and the port of Corpus Christi is its county seat. 
Area, 2845 square miles. 

Population in 1 S70 , . . 3,975 

Population in 1880 (two-thirds Mexican; 8 per cent colored). .. 7,673 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $2,089,912 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 3,482,695 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 925,334 

The slightly undulating prairie which comprises nearly the entire county 
is relieved, at long intervals, by small clumps of mesquite trees, and in the 
bottoms of the Oso and Aqua Dulce creeks by dense chaparals. In the 
western portion of the county are sandy hills- of considerable elevation, on 
and near the summit of some of which are motts of live oak, hackberry, 
and anaqua. The entire wooded area is estimated at one-twenty-fifth of 
the county, and 95 per cent of the timber is red mesquite, which is very 
valuable for fuel and fence posts. The live oak is scarce, very scrubby and 
crooked. The chaparal bushes are not more than from six to eight feet 
high, and of but trifling value for any purpose. 

The principal streams are the Nueces river, Aqua Dulce, San Fernando, 
and Santa Gertrude creeks. Water is also obtained from underground 
cisterns, from artificial tanks or dams constructed across the arroyos, and 
from wells averaging from thirty to forty feet in depth, from the lat.ter of 
which an abundant supply, both for domestic use and for stock, is raised by 
means of windmills. The mean annual rainfall is about 30 inches, and is 
usually distiibuted ? ith some degree of uniformity througnout the year. 
Protracted drouths sometimes occur, but at intervals of years Irrigation 
is not used or deemed necessary. 

About one-fourth of the area is suitable for cultivation, the arable por- 
tion consisting cniefiy of a rich, friable, black loam, easily tilled and fairly 
productive. Systematic farming is not followed in the county. A few of 
the wealthy rancheros plant small fields of corn or oats and a vegetable 
garden, but, with this exception, the attention of the rural population is 
almost exclusively devoted to stockraising. The most reliable estimates 
place the quantity of land in cultivation at 4000 acres "With ordinary 
seasons corn produces 25 bushels per acre; oats, 35; nutatoes. Irish. 10U; 
sweet 200; hay, 1^ tons; and, with proper cultivation, all kinds of vegetables 
do well. Teaches, grapes, and plums are grown only in a very small way, 
but tigs are the principal fruit, and the trees reach an enormous size and 



24U RESOUECES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

yield in proportion. Wild land is worth from $1 to $2 an acre. There is 
very little improved land for sale. A few tracts near the city of Corpus 
Christi are held at from $3 to $10 an acre. 

Nine-tenths of the grass with wnich che entire surface is carpeted is mes- 
quite, the remainder being divided between the "cow 1 ' grass of the hog- 
wailow prairies, wild rye, or oat grass, and the salt grass in the flats of 
creek bottoms The wild rye seeds heavily in September and October, and 
makes excellent hay. In exceptionally severe winters, a small amount of 
hay is required for stock for a snort time, but in mild winters, which are 
most common^ and in other seasons, they keep in good condition entirely on 
ihe range. 

Stockraising is carried on as a systematic and thoroughly organized 
business, and the breed of all kinds of stock is being- rapidly improved. 
The assessment rolls for 1881 place the number of stock in the county 
as follows 84,989 cattle, 25,012 horses and mules 176,785 sheep and 
5733 goats: or about 3 head of horses, 10 head of cattle, and 22 head of 
sheep to each inhabitant. It is believed the present number of stock is 
one-third greater than the figures above given. Work horses are worth 
about $30; mules, $50; oxen, $40 to $50 per yoke. The retail price of 
beef is about 6 cents per pound; mutton, 5; pork, 8; bacon, 12; corn, $1.25 
a bushel; flour. $9 to $10 per barrel. Domestic fowls of both improved 
and common breeds are raised with but little trouble or expense. Deer, 
turkeys, quail and water fowl are numerous. The fresh water streams 
abound in perch, catfish, and soft-shell turtle, and the bays in all kinds of 
salt water fish, and oysters, shrimp, and sea turtles of enormous size. 

The Corpus Christi, San Diego and Rio Grande Railway, a part of the 
Texas-Mexican narrow gauge system of railways, runs from Corpus Christi 
to Laredo, 1 62 miles, passing east and west through the county, with four 
stations, viz: Oso, Banquette, Rabbs, and Collins. 

Corpus Christi has a population of about 4000, and an aggregate annual 
trade of $2,000,000. 

The inlet to the harbor of Corpus Christi, which is both spacious and 
secure, is through Aransas Pass, between St. Joseph's and Mustang islands. 
The present depth of water across the bar at the mouth of the inlet varies 
from 7 to 8 feet, and the work of deepening the channel across the bar, 
also through the bay, to 12 feet at mean low tide, has been undertaken by 
the United States government. The estimate for the work on the bar 
channel is $760,000, and for dredging out the bay channel, $440,000, and 
about $150,000 have been so far expended, with satisfactory results. Fur- 
ther appropriations by Congress, as may be required in the progress of the 
undertaking, may be considered as assured, and there is little room for 
doubt that the full depth of water proposed will be obtained within a 
reasonable time. This barrier to its progress removed, the position of Cur- 
pus Christi in reference to the great wool and cattle trade of the southwest- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. OLDHAM COUNTY. 241 

em portion of the State, and to the trade of Mexico as well, would seem to 
warrant the belief that the city must soon develop into a* port of large com- 
mercial importance. 

In Corpus Chnsti is a well conducted system of public free schools, con- 
trolled by the city authorities, in which 681 children within ..he scholastic 
age are enrolled, and in the county, outside of the city limits, free schools 
are provided for a scholastic population of 523 

Of the religious denominations, the Poman Catholic and Episcopal have 
the largest membership in Corpus Christi, and their church edifices are 
handsome and tasteful in architectural design The Methodists, Baptists 
and Congregationalists also have commodious buildings and there are also 
two cofored churches in the city The city has no debt, and levies a tax of 
one-fourth of one per ce t ad valorem. Tne county has a floating debt of 
about * 10,000, and levies a tax of one- fifth of one per cent ad valorem. 

Proximity co the gulf, the almost incessant gulf breeze, and the absence 
of all local causes of malaria, combine to render the health of the county 
exceptionally good. 



OLDHAM COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 35 deg. 30 min., and west longitude 102 deg.,30 
min., on the west boundary line of the State, in the extreme northwestern 
portion, known as the Panhandle. Tascosa, the county seat, is about 470 
miles northwest of the city of Austin, Area, 1477 square miles. Organ- 
ized in December, 1880. 

Population, June 1, 18S0 (no colored) 287 

At the general election in November, 1880. there were polled in the 
county 187 votes, which, according to the usual ratio of voters to inhab- 
itants, would indicate a population of about 800 at that date. 

Assessed value of taxable property in 18S2 $443,875 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 370,406 

The general surface is an elevated, gently undulating plain, broken at 
long intervals by pebbly bluffs and deep ravines on the borders of the 
streams. The Canadian river flows through the county from southwest to 
northeast, and trioutary to it are Rito Blanco Moneto, Trujillo, Aqua 
Pedro, Alamosa, Alamosita, Cheyenne, and Los Achia creeks, and other 
smaller water-courses, which are, in turn, fed by many never-failing rivu- 
iets. The channel of the Canadian river is from 1200 to 1500 feet in width, 
and tfhe current, .in low stages of water, often shifts from one side of the 
16 



242 KESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OP 

channel to the other, the bed being generally composed of quicksand, but 
never, in the dryest seasons, ceases to run in considerable volume. Wells 
of pure water are obtained at a depth of 15 to 40 feet, in most parts of the 
county. Along all the larger streams is a scattering scrubby growth of 
Cottonwood, hackberry, and wild china, and in some of the canyons of the 
Canadian river and Alamosa creek are many cedarbrakes of valuable tim- 
ber, used* chiefly for fence posts. 

The county presents an unusual variety at soils, consisting of a dark 
chocolate-colored mold on the high prairies, a deep, mellow red loam, a red- 
dish clayey loam, and a lighter chocolate -colored loam in the valleys. 

"With the exception of a few patches of corn, vegetables and melons, 
which have yielded very well, no farming has been done, but it is believed 
that for all the cereals it will prove highly productive. No register of 
rainfall has been kept, but the returns indicate that it is about 25 inches per 
annum, and is irregular, but usually most abundant in March, April, May, 
and June, and there is also generally a rainy season either in September, 
October, or November. 

Four-fifths of the area is embraced in the 3,000,000 acres of land set 
apart for the erection of a State capitol, now in course of construction. 
These lands have been subdivided into league surveys, and titles will be 
made to Taylor, Babcock & Co., the capitol contractors, in installments, as 
the work on the building progresses. It is reasonably certain that all these 
lands will, at an early day, be placed upon the market, at such prices as the 
owners may fix. The commissioner appointed by the State to superintend 
the selection and survey of these lands, after a thorough personal inspection, 
reports, under oath, that in his opinion they will compare favorably in fer- 
tility with any upland prairie of similar territorial extent in the southwest, 
and that the lands on the waters tributary to the Canadian river (which 
embrace a large portion of the county) "Are more clayey (than the prairie 
uplands) and are superior grazing soils, besides much of it being suscepti- 
ble of cultivation." 

The county is, at present, the grazing ground for large herds of cattle 
and sheep, which are being constantly increased by the introduction of 
herds from other sections. According to the assessment rolls, there were 
in the county, on the first of January, 1882, 913 horses and mules, 32,643 
cattle, and 25,200 sheep. Nearly the entire area is covered with gamma, 
the long, and the curly mesquite grass, and stock keep in good condition 
the year round on the open range, finding good shelter in winter in the 
brakes, gorges, and valleys. Work horses are worth from $30 to $50; mules, 
$40 to $80; and oxen, from $40 to $80 per yoke. Beef, at retail, sells at 6 
to 8 cents ,a pound; mutton, 8; bacon, IS to 20; corn, $2.25 per bushel; 
and flour, $12 to $14 per barrel. Antelope, deer, turkeys, prairie chickens, 
quail, ducks, beaver, and other varieties of game abound; and catfish) 
buffalo, and perch are caught in the larger streams. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. ORANGE COUNTY. 243 

The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway, completed to Wichita Falls, 
in Wichita county, and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, are pro- 
jected to pass through the county, and the Denver and New Orleans Rail- 
way is chartered to make connection with the former road at the Canadian 
river, 16 miles west of Tascosa. 

Tascosa. the county seat, situated on the Canadian river, has about 200 
inhabitants. There is one private school, but no public free schools for the 
current year, the scholastic census not having been received at the date of 
the apportionment oi tne school fund. 

The county has no debt, and the aggregate State and county tax is sev- 
enty-five cents on the one hundred dollars. The general elevation is about 
3500 feet above the sea level, the natural drainage good, and the climate 
dry, invigorating and very healthy. 



ORANGE COUNTY 

Lies between the Sabine and Neches rivers, in the shape of a bowl, with 
its bottom resting on Sabine lake. Orange, the county seat, is about thirty- 
five miles north pf the port of Sabine Pass, by the Sabine river and lake. 
Area, 396 square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,255 

Population in 1880 (16 per cent colored) 2,938 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 No Returns 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $777,486 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 804,145 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 65,564 

The general surface is a slightly undulating, alluvial plain, the southern 
portion being mostly open prairie, and the northern uplands covered with 
a heavy forest of pine and the several kinds of oak, while in the wide bot- 
toms of the rivers is a more dense growth of water oak, pin oak, white 
oak, beech, hickory, ash, cypress, walnut, and other varieties of hard 
woods. According to the Forestry Bulletin of the United States Census 
Bureau, there was standing in the county, May 31, 1880, of merchantable 
long leaf pine (pinus Austral is), 230,000,000 feet, and of the loblolly pine 
(pinus teeda), 518,400,000 feet, board measure. 

Green's, Adams', and Cow oayous flow southeast into the Sabine river, 
and Richman, Ten Mile, and Tiger creeks, southwest into the Neches. The 
Sabine and Neches rivers are both navigable at all the season for steam- 
boats, and a number ply on them regularly. A few good springs are found, 



244 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

and wells of palatable water are everywhere obtained at a shallow depth, but 
cisterns are preferred, and in the town of Orange, especially, cistern water 
is almo§t exclusively used for all domestic purposes. 

The soil on the streams is a dark alluvial, and on the timbered upland 
and the prairies, a light, interspersed with a dark loam, both- of which are 
easily tilled and fairly productive. The lumber business is the engrossing 
pursuit, but sufficient farming is done to demonstrate the productive charac- 
ter of the soil. With ordinary cultivation, cotton yields from 200 to 400 
pounds of lint per acre; corn, 20 to 80 bushels; sugar, 1000 pounds; and 
m'olasses, 10 barrels. . Peacnes, pears, tigs, oranges, Japan and Chickasaw 
plums, grapes, and strawberries are successfully grown. Bananas, with 
slight protection m winter, grow and bear fruit of good quality. Dates 
have been tried in a small way, and have passed through four seasons un- 
protected, without serious injury. Vegetables and melons of all kinds do 
well. The annual rainfall is about 45 inches and the seasons are usually 
regular. Wild land, suitable for farms, is held at from 50 cents to $2 per 
acre; well timbered pine lands are held at $5 to $8, according to location, 
and are rapidly increasing in value. Improved tracts are worth from $3 to 
$10 per acre, and land in cultivation rents for from $3 to $4. Ordinary 
rail fencing costs about $100 a mile. Pine lumber is worth $10 to $12 per 
thousand feet, at the mills. 

The native grasses afford fairly good pasturage, generally for the entire 
year, but in exceptionally severe and protracted winters stock require some 
feed. In all other seasons they keep in good condition on the open range. 
The stock interests of the county, as shown by the assessment rolls of 1882, 
consist of 1277 horses and mules, 7082 cattle, 392 sheep., and 820 hogs. 
The actual number of hogs is believed to b« largely in excess of the assess- 
ment, as they, like cattle, run loose on the range, and, unlike cattle, there 
is no reliable rule by which to correctly estimate them. They are not orTly 
raised, but in many seasons are fattened, entirely on the mast. Work 
horses are worth from $25 to $60; mules, $60 to $100; oxen, $50 per yoke. 
Beet sells, at retail, at 5 cents; mutton, 5 to 8; pork, 10; and bacon, 12 cents 
per pound; corn, 50 cents to $1 per bushel; flour, $9 to $10 per barrel. In 
some parts of the county deer, turkeys, and squirrels are abundant, and 
bear are frequently found. Many kinds of fish abound in the lakes and 
rivers. 

The manufacture of lumber and shingles is the most profitable in- 
dustry of the county. Hundreds of laborers are constantly engaged in 
cutting saw-logs in the pine and cypress forests, and rafting them down 
the Sabine river to the mills at the town of Orange, which also- employ a 
large number of operatives. Orange is situated on the west bank of the 
Sabine river, and is connected by the Texas and New Orleans Railway with 
the, city of Houston, and thence, by the several railways centering at that 
city, with thewgreat lumber market of the State. It has also ready watei 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. PALO PINTO COUNTY. 245 

communication by steam and sail vessels with the city of Galveston and the 
gulf coast. It has a population of about 2500, and an annual general mer- 
chandise trade of about $650,000. In 1881, the products of the nine 
lumber and six shingle mills in operation were, in round numbers, 
66,000,000 shingles, 15,253,000 feet of dressed lumber, and 80,500,000 feet 
of rough lumber; and the aggregate value of the shipments of lumber, 
Shingles, pickets, cotton, wool, and hides was $992,768. 

The apportionment of the free school fund is made upon the basis of a 
scholastic population of 589, and free schools are provided for whites and 
blacks in proportion to their respective numbers. There are also several 
private schools oi medium grade, and Orange College is a well managed 
institution, with a corps of competent teachers, and a good attendance of 
pupils. The tioman Catholic and the Methodist denominations have 
churches in the town of Orange and most of the Protestant denominations 
hold services more or less regularly in the Method ist church. Tlie*e are 
also two colored ehurcnes. each with a large membership. The county has> 
a small floating debt that is provided for, and the county tax is fifty cents 
on the one hundred dollars, and the city tax twenty-five cents. 

In the summer and fall, in the marshy portions of the county, malarial 
attacks, usually of a mild type, are more or less common, but the strong 
and constant gulf breeze renders the general health of the county in most 
parts, and especially in the pine districts, very good. The summer tem- 
perature ranges Irom 70 to 95 deg., and the winter from 32 to 60 deg. left 
and snow are rarely seen. 



PALO PINTO COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 32 deg. 40 min., and west longitude 98 deg. 15 
min., and is about sixty mil.es west of the city of Port Worth, on the line 
of the Texas and Pacific Railway. Area, 968 square miles. 

Population in I860 (not separately returned in 1870) 1,524 

Population in 1880 (88 colored) 5,8^5 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $275,548 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,657,447 

Assessed value of taxable property in 188? 1,708,475 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 306, 136 

The general surface is mainly composed of mountains and valleys. Tho 
former are generally covered with rich grasses, and the latter, bordering on 
the Brazos river and its tributaries, and stretching out at the foot of the 



246 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

mountainous divides between the streams, are broad and level. The Brazos 
river flows from northwest to southeast through the county, and m its tor- 
tuous course, presents about 2t)0 miles of river front. Tributary to it. on 
the northeast, are Big and Little Keechi. Turkey, -Rock, and Dark Valley 
creeks, and on the southwest, Cedar, Cadcro, Ioni, and Palo Pinto creeks, 
which are fed by numerous smallei streams, and they, in turn, by bold 
springs of pure water. Wells of good water are easily obtained in every 
part of the county. 

About one-fourth of the area is covered with timber, consisting chiefly of 
post oak, and cedar in'smaller proportion, inclined to be short and scrubby, but 
is suitable, and in sufficient quantity; for fuel, fencing, and building common 
log houses, and distributed conveniently throughout the county. There are 
some rairly productive uplands, but most of the farming lands are in the 
valleys of the Brazo's and its tributaries^ and are estimated to comprise 
about one-half the area, the soil being chiefly a red or chocolate-col- 
ored, sandy alluvium, of great depth and fertility. Many of the valleys 
are of uniform fertility, notably, that of Keechi creek, which is a prairie 
from five to ten miles wide by about fifteen miles long, and four-fifths 
of it well adapted to cultivation. Under ordinary conditions, and worked 
with ordinary farming implements, the yield is from 600 to 1200 pounds of 
seed cotton per acre, 25 to 40 bushels of ©orn, 10 to 16 of wheat, 35 to 60 
o'f oats, and 1 to 1£ tons of millet and hay. All kinds of vegetables com- 
mon to the latitude are raised in great abundance. Peaches, plums, grapes, 
and strawberries are successfully grown. Pecans, wild plums, grapes, mul- 
berries, and argarite, or Texas currants, bear abundantly in most seasons. 

There are several thousand acres of State school lands, mainly valuable 
for grazing, which are held at a minimum price of $1 and $2 per acre, 
payable in twenty years, by installments; and also, three leagues of county 
school land, the price of which is fixed by the county authorities. 

Unimproved farming land, in private hands, is held at from $1.50 to $5, 
and improved tracts from #5 to $10 an acre. The rental value of cultivated 
land is about $3. Pine lumber is worth about $25 per 1000 feet. Rock 
fencing costs $450 a mile; rail fencing, $260; and wire, $150 to $200. La- 
borers are paid cash wages of about $15 a month. The mean annual rain- 
fall is 26.23 inches, and is usually so distributed throughout the year as to 
insure fair crops, but in some years the seasons are not sufficiently regular, 
and irrigation is resorted to to some extent. Springs and mountain streams 
being used for the purpose, it is cheaply obtained and proves highly bene- 
ficial. It is believed by citizens that the rainfall has gradually increased, 
both in quantity and regularity, during the last decade. 

Range stock neither require nor receive feed in any season, and for eight 
months in the year oxen and saddle horses require no other feed than that 
furnished by the native pastures. The assessment rolls of 1882 show in 
the county, 27,466 cattle, 4881 horses and mules, 5917 sheep, 905 goats 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. PALO PINTO COUNTY. 24? 

and 565S hogs. Sheep are generally of the common breeds, but are to 
some extent mixed with better grades, and shear from 4 to 6 pounds per 
annum. The common goat is easily and cheaply raised, and Cashmere goats 
have been found to be profitable, and are being introduced in considerable 
numbers. Work horses are worth from $25 to $50; mules, $60 to $80; 
oxen, $50 per yoke; beef, at retail, is worth from 4 to 5 cents; mutton. 6 to 
8; pork, 4 to 7; bacon, 10 to 15 cents per pound; corn 40 to 75 cents per 
bushel; flour, $3 to $5 a hundred pounds. Game is scarce, but catfish, buf- 
falo, trout, and perch are numerous in the river and creeks. 

The Texas and Pacific Railroad, which reached the county in 1880, runs 
through its southern part, and has three stations, Sparta, Straun, and Gor- 
don, with respectively 50, 200, and 350 inhabitants. Palo Pinto, the county 
seat, is beautifully located on Little Eagle creek, a never-failing stream, 
and has about 400 inhabitants. In this county are located a number of 
mineral wells, around which a town of about 2000 inhabitants, known as 
Mineral Wells, has grown up within the last two or three years. The wa- 
ters are believed to possess valuable medicinal properties, and to be espe 
ciaily beneficial for cutaneous diseases, rheumatism, and other chronic affec- 
tions; and they are resorted to by large numbers of invalids. The town is 
surrounded by mountains, and the scenery is picturesque. 

Coal of good quality has been discovered in £he county, and two mines 
have been opened, the yield from which «is about ninety •tons per day. 
This coal gives about 31 per cent of volatile matter and about 60 of fixed 
carbon, and makes a firm coke. 

The apportionment for the scholastic year 1882-83 is on a basis of a 
population within the scholastic age of 1198, for which number free schools 
are provided. There are many good church buildings, and a number of 
school houses are used for church purposes; the Methodist, Baptist, Presby 
tenan, and Christian denominations having church organizations. 

The comoined State and county tax is 90 cents on the $100, which in 
eludes a levy to pay for a $12,000 jail, just completed; and also to provide 
for the interest and sinking fund <£>f bonds issued to build a $32,500 court 
house now in course of construction. The population is law-abiding and 
peaceable. During the past year the county jail had but one regular inmate, 
(and there are only two persons who require aid from the pauper fund of the 
county. 

The general elevation is about 2000 feet above the sea level; there is an 
entire ■absence of lagoons, marshes, or other causes of malaria, and th* 
atmosphere is dry, pure, and healthful. 



248 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



PANOLA COUNTY 

Lies on the east boundary line of the State, in north latitude 32 deg. 15 
min.. and Carthage, the county seat, is thirty-two miles southeast of Long- 
view, the point of junction of the Texas and Pacific and International and 
Great Northern Railways. Area, 799 square miles. 

Population in 1870 10.1 19 

Population in 1880 (40 per cent colored) 12,219 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $287,393 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S81 1,224,078 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 227,035 

The general surface is for the most part level, but with sufficient undula- 
tions for drainage, and, except where farms have been opened, is covered 
by dense forests, composed chiefly of pine, post oak, red oak, and black 
jack on the uplands, and white oak, overcup oak, pin oak, water oak. black 
walnut, cypress, and sweet gum in the bottoms. According to Forestry 
Bulletin No. 1, issued by the United States Census Bureau, there were stand 
ing in the county on May 3i, 1880, of the long-leaf pine (] :>inus Au&tra- 
hs), 1,193,600,000 feet, and of short leaf pine (pinus mitis), 1,107,200,000 
feet, board measure. Most of the timber is large, and much of it valuable 
for building and manufacturing purposes. 

The main streams are the Sabine river, which flows through the county 
from northwest to southeast, and Martin's, Murval, Brushy, Socagee, Irons, 
Kog, Mills, Six Mile, and Elm creeks, many of which are shallow and slug- 
gish, but furnish abundant, unfailing stock water at all seasons. Wells, 
which •*-& readil} obtained at a shallow depth in all parts of the county, 
-and. numerous springs provide an ample supply of pure water for domestic 
use. The mean annual rainfall is about 47 inches, and the seasons are gen 
■erally propitious for diversified farming. 

Js early the entire county is susceptible of cultivation, and it is estimated 
that about 50,000 acres are enclosed in farms. Much of the pine uplands is 
a light, thin, and inferior soil, and chiefly valuable for timber, but the gray 
pest oak uplands, and the deep mellow alluvium or light loam of the river 
and creek bottoms, are all highly productive, especially tne two last named. 

T he average yield of cotton in the county is a bale to tiiree acres, out 
the best lands; with good cultivation, generally produce from one-half to 
three-fourths :>! a Dale; corn produces from 2 5 to 30 bushels; oats. 25 to 30; 
molasses, 200 gallons; sweet potatoes 100 to 2f>0 bushels; and all meions 
and vegetables common to the latitude are easily and plentifully raised. 
Apples, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries, and raspberries grow luxuri- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES, — PANOLA COUNTY. 249 

antly, and yield heavy crops of fine fruit. "Wild land is worth from SI to 
$4, and improved tracts from $4 to $6. Land is usually rented for one 
third of the corn and one-fourth of the cotton. Ordinary rail fencing costs 
about $90 a mile. Lumber is so abundant as to have scarcely a quotable 
market price, but may be said to be worth from $7.50 to $10 per thousand 
feet. 

The county is not well adapted to the raising of any kind of stock except 
hogs, the principal variety of grass being sedge, which affords indiffer 
ent winter pasturage. Horses and mules require the run of the fields, 
small grain pastures, or to be fed during the winter, and other stock to a 
greater or less extent. Hogs are raised in large numbers, and almost exclu- 
sively in the forests, upon the mast of which alone they are, in many 
seasons, fattened for slaughter. Nearly every farmer raises more or less 
stocK for domestic use, and on January 1, 1881, there were in the county, 
according to the assessment rolls, 10,708 cattle, 3305 horses and mules, 1594 
sheep, 624 goats, and 24,619 hogs. Work horses are worth about $75; 
mules, $100; oxen, per yoke, $50; beef, 4 cents a pound; mutton, 7; pork, 4 
to 6; bacon, 11£ to 15; corn, 75 cents per bushel; and flour, $9 per barrel. 
There are large numbers of deer, turkeys, and small game and in the 
Necbes river a moderately good supply of catfish, perch, and trout. There 
is a sufficient number or steam saw-mills to supply the present limited local 
demand for lumber. The large quantity of valuable timber offers uncom- 
mon inducements for the establishment of manufactories of wagons, 
farming implements, and furniture. The Longview and Sabine Valley 
Railway, now under construction, is projected to pass through the county, 
and its early completion seems to be reasonably assured. The Sabine Pass 
and Texas Northern Railway, projected to pass north and south through the 
county, via Carthage, is also under construction, with fair prospects of 
being rapidly pushed through to the gulf. 

Public free schools are provided for a scholastic population of 2437, and 
are in successful operation. The Methodist and Baptist denominations 
have houses of worship, and religious services are well attended. The 
county has no debt, and levies a tax of one-fourth of one per cent ad 
valorem. The county is one of the older and longer settled communities of 
the State, and the population is characterized by intelligence, hospitality, 
and a law-abiding, conservative public spirit. 

Occasionally, in summer and fall, malarial attacks, generally of a mild 
character, are more or less frequent on and near the creek and river bot- 
toms, but the well-drained surface of the uplansd and the salubrious 
atmosphere of the extensive pine forests combine to render the general 
health of the county yery good. Tke temperature in summer rarelv rises 
above 95 deg. Fahrenheit, and ranges in winter from 28 to 75 degrees. 



250 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



PARKER COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 32 deg. 40 rain., and west longitude 97 cleg. 40 
min., and Weatherford, the county seat, is 32 miles west of the city of Fort 
Worth, by the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway. Area, 900 square 
miles. 

Population in 1870 4,186 

Population in 1880 (4 per cent colored) 15,870 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,511,975 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 3,378,985 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 3,653.138 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 401,744 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 492,887 

The Brazos river flows through the southwest part of the county a dis- 
tance, by the course of the stream, of 50 r «iiles, and the Clear Fork of the 
Trinity, from near the northern boundary, in a southeast direction diago- 
nally across it; and these streams, together with Walnut, Rock. Grindstone, 
Willow, Day, Patrick's, Kickapoo, Bear, and many "other smaller creeks 
distribute an abundant supply of waier for stock and general purposes 
There are a few springs, but water for domestic purposes is usually supplied 
by wells, which are" obtained at almost any desired point at an average 
depth of from 18 to 40 feet. 

A large part of the county is composed of rolling prairies, frequently 
rising into abrupff and almost mountainous hills. Between these hills and 
aloTfg the streams, are many level valleys. A wide belt of woodland, known 
as the upper cross-timbers, extends nearly north and south through the 
county, about one-naif of the entire area being timbered land the forest 
growth along the streams consisting of pecan, cottonwood elm, -hackberry, 
ash. and box elder, and that on the imlands. ot post oak and blackiack. 

The soil on most of the hills in tlie prairies is thin, and but little suited 
to purposes of agriculture, and it is estimated that about one-third o£' the 
entire area is arable land, and is confined principally to the valleys, the soils 
ot which are divided between black waxy and black sandy, and tc the post 
oak uplands, on which the soil is a gray sandv that, is best adapted to corn, 
cotton, "ana garden and orchard products, while the black lands are esteemed 
most valuable for wheat. 

About 20 per cent of the arable land is in cultivation, and the yield of 
corn, cotton, wheat, oats, rye, barley, millet, sweet and Irish potatoes, and 
vegetables is usually very large. The mean annual rainfall, as registered 
at the station oi the United States Signal Service at Decatur, about 35 miles 



TEXA? BY COUNTIES. — PARKER COUNTY. 251 

northeast of Weatlierford, was, for the four years 1878 to 1881, inclusive, 
28.63 inches, and at Jacksboro, about 40 miles northwest, for 1878, 31.34 
inches; 1879, 23.71 inches; and 1881, 23.54 inches; and the heaviest 
monthly precipitation in those years, at both places, was in May, June and 
July. Improved agricultural implements are largely used. Peaches, plums, 
and apples do well, but sometimes suffer when young from the ravages of 
the "borer." Blackberries and dewberries grow in very great profusion. 
Unimproved arable land is worth from $1.50 to $5 an acre, and pasture 
land from $1 to $2. One hundred and sixty acre tracts with 80 acres in 
cultivation and necessary improvements are worth from $1000 to $2000, and 
cultivated land rents for from $3 to $5 an acre. There are iargs bodies of 
State school land in the county that can be bought at a minimum price of 
from $1 to $2 an acre, according to the water supply, payable in 20 annual 
installments, with 8 per cent interest. Two French companies, the Societe 
Fonciere et Agricole des Etats Unis and the Franco-Texan Land Company, 
own large bodies of land in the county, and have introduced a large num- 
ber of French immigrants. Fences are usually constructed of posts and 
wire, and cost about $200 a mile. Pine lumber is worth $27 per thousand. 
Hedges of the Osage orange are successfully grown, but the Texas hedge 
plant, a species of cactus, is being most used, and has proved highly val- 
uable. 

Sedge, gamma, and mesquite grasses abound, the latter being least abun- 
dant but most nutritious. Ordinarily stock receive no feed in winter, but 
would do better if fed more or less for about six weeks in that season. 
Stockraising is most generally combined with agriculture, and is an indus- 
try of large importance. On January 1, 1882, there were in the county, 
according to the assessment rolls for that year, 8701 horses and mules, 
32.683 cattle, 3065 sheep, 1261 goats, and 11,923 hogs. Work animals and 
food supplies, of every description, can be bought at low prices. There are 
some deer, turkeys, quail, and squirrels, and, in winter, ducks and geese, but 
game is not abundant. The ordinary varieties of fresh-water fish are 
numerous in the Brazos and Trinity rivers and the larger creeks. There 
are surface indications of valuable deposits of coal, but no mines have as 
yet been opened. The Texas and Pacific Railway runs through the county 
from east to west. 

Weatlierford is beautifully located among the hills, near the centre of the 
county, and is noted for its pure water and healthful situation. It has 
about 4000 inhabitants, two national banks, seven churches, a handsome 
stone court house, many large and substantial business houses, broad and 
well-graded streets, and a number of tasteful and costly private residences. 
The city levies a special tax for free school purposes, and sustains a graded 
school, with about 300 white pupils in attendance, and two schools for col- 
ored children, eight months in the year. Outside the city limits is a 
scholastic population of 3479, for which free schools are provided, the av- 



252 



RESOUKCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OP 



erage term of which is from four to five months. Church conveniences 
are good in nearly every rural neighborhood. The county has no debt, 
and levies a tax of one-fourth of one per cent, ad valorem, and the city tax 
is one-half of one per cent. 

The population is, for the most part, made up of substantial and well-to- 
do farmers and stockraisers; the order of intelligence is high, and law and 
order prevail in all parts of the county. The county is generally exempt 
from serious sickness, epidemics never prevail, and the standard of health 
is as high as in any part of the State. 



PECOS COUNTY 

Extends southeast and northwest from 29 deg. 40 min. to 32 deg. north 
latitude, and from 101 deg. 20 min. to 104 deg. 20 min., west longitude. 
The Rio Grande forms its southern boundary for about 150 miles and 
the Pecos river its eastern for about 300 miles, the two streams uniting at 
its southeast corner. Organized in 1875. Area, 11,379 square miles. 

Population in 1880 (75 per cent Mexican and 7 per cent colored) 1,807 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $020,701 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,796,751 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 159,805 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 444,952 

Nearly the entire surface is an extended, high, rolling prairie, broken at 
intervals by low, abrupt ranges of hills, which, in the northern part, assume 
the proportion of mountains. Along the streams, notably on the Pecos 
river, are occasional, wide and level valleys. With the exception of dense 
chaparals, which, at wide intervals, cover a considerable portion of the plains, 
and a small area of scrubby pine in the northern part, the county is almost 
devoid of forest growth. Fuel, of excellent quality and in sufficient quan- 
tity to meet all demands, is easily obtained from the roots of the mesquite 
bushes, which present an enormous disproportion in size to the stock and 
lie near the surface. The United States military post at Fort Stockton, in 
the county, is supplied with mesquite root fuel at $7 per cord, which is 
considered equal to oak wood at $5 p3r cord. 

Toyah creek, which flows across the northern part of the county for a 
distance of about twenty-five miles, is fed by springs throughout its course, 
and spreads out into a considerable lake a few miles above its mouth 
Comanche creek, in the central portion, has its source in large springs, and 
is about five miles long, and Leon creek, about fifteen miles in length 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. PECOS COUNTY. 



253 



Limpia and Pisano creeks, having their sources in the adjoining county of 
Presidio, unite to form Dog Canyon. The water of all these streams, except 
the Rio Grande, is more or less alkaline in taste, but at a number of points 
there are bold springs of good water. As a whole, however, the natural 
water supply of the county is scant. The mean annual rainfall, as regis- 
tered at the United States Signal Service station at Fort Stockton, for four 
years ending September 1, 1882, was 19.51 inches. In 1880 it was 38, and 
was confined chiefly to the months from July to November. 

The soil of the valleys is a light loam, and is believed to be very fertile, 
but its producing capacity has never been fairly tested. On Comanche 
creek is a considerable area of fertile land that could be cheaply and easily 
irrigated. Along the Pecos and most of the other streams are broad valleys 
which are believed to be highly fertile and irrigable from the fact that they 
have been selected and located by the railway companies. The alternate 
sections (640 acres) of these railway surveys are State free school lands, the 
whole number of acres of which, in the county, is about 2,000,000, and are 
held at from $1 to $2 per acre, according to the water supply, payable in 
twenty years, in installments, with 8 per cent interest. There are also in 
the county 251,760 acres of State University lands, which can be bought 
in 80 and 160-acre tracts, on the same terms as the school lands. At pres- 
ent Mexicans carry on most of the farming done in the county, cultivating 
irrigated land with the primitive wooden plow, but improved agricultural 
implements have been introduced, to a limited extent, by the American 
population. None but irrigated land is cultivated, and corn yields, per 
acre, from 20 to 30 bushels; wheat, 18 to 20; oats, 25 to 35; barley, 30 to 
40; and vegetables of all kinds do equally as well. Along and near the 
streams irrigation can be obtained at moderate expense, ditching for the 
purpose costing about $400 per mile. Wild land, owned by private parties, 
is worth from 50 cents to $2 per acre. There is no improved land for sale, 
except in large tracts of enclosed irrigable land, with a very small portion in 
cultivation, which is held at from $6 to $8 an acre. Lumber is worth from 
$80 to $125 per thousand feet, and, on account of the scarcity of lumber, 
wire fencing is almost exclusively used. 

The native grasses are abundant and nutritious, and stock keep fat the 
year round on the open plains. Owing to the difficulty of a thorough 
assessment, the actual number of stock in the county is believed to be 
largely in excess of that shown by the assessment rolls of January 1, 1882, 
viz: 763 horses and mules, 34,806 cattle, 4102 sheep, and 1177 goats. Horses 
are but little used except for the saddle, and are worth from $25 to $60; 
mules, $25 to $50; oxen, $40 to $50 a yoke. Beef retails at 6 cents; mut- 
ton, 10; pork. 10 to 15; bacon, 15 to 25; corn. $1.50 per bushel; flour, 
$6.50 to $7.50 per 100 pounds. Deer and antelope are found in considera- 
ble numbers in the southwest part of the county, ducks and geese are 
numerous in winter, and there are many catfish and buffalo in the Pecos 
and Rio Grande. 



254 KESOUKCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

The Texas and Pacific Railway runs through the northern, and the Mexi- 
can and Pacific extension of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio 
Railway through the southern part of the county. 

Fort Stockton, the county seat, and a United States military post, with a 
population of about 500, lies nearly midway between these roads, which are 
here 120 miles apart, and has three general merchandise establishments, with 
an aggregate annual trade of $100,000. The scholastic population is 210, but 
attendance on the public free schools is small, owing to the sparsely settled 
condition of the county. The Roman Catholic church is the only one hav- 
ing a place of worship. The county levies a tax of forty-five cents on the 
one hundred dollars, and has a surplus in the treasury. Sickness is of rare 
occurrence in this high, dry country, and as a health resort for those 
suffering with lung diseases, the county presents all the required conditions. 



POLK COUNTY. 

The Neches and Trinity rivers form respectively the northern and south- 
western boundaries of this county. Livingston, the county seat, is seventy- 
two miles east of north of the city of Houston, by the Houston and East and 
West Texas Railroad. 

Population in 1870 8,707 

Population in 1880 (40 colored)* 7,189 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 %699,422 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881* 1.010,650 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,441,353 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 133,908 

*About oue-third of the county was taken after the census and assessment of 1S70, to form San Jacinto 
county. 

The general surface is moderately high and rolling, and rises gradually 
toward the center, forming a dividing ridge, thus furnishing thorough drai- 
age of the entire county eastward into the Neches, and southwestward into 
the Trinity river. Nine-tenths of the area was originally covered with dense 
forests, of which comparatively a small proportion has been cleared away. The 
timber is generally large, and consists of the several varieties of oak and of 
walnut, pecan, maple (white and sugar), ash (black and white), cypress, ce- 
dar, hickory (black and white), mulberry, chinquapin, sycamore, wild peach, 
magnolia, holly, elm, beech, sweet and black gum, chersy, birch, hackberry, 
and cottonwood. The pecan is valuable for its abundant crop of nuts, and 
the timber of one variety, which, in the Trinity river bottoms, reaches a 
large size, is much esteemed for the manufacture of wagons and farming 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. POLK COUNTY. 



255 



implements. The Forestry Bulletin of the United States Census Rureau 
places the amount of merchantable pine standing in the county on May 31, 
1880, as follows: Of the long-leaf pine (pinus Australis), 2,720,000,000, and 
of the loblolly pine [pinus tceda), 473,000,000 feet, board measure. 

in all parts of the county are bold, unfailing streams of pure water, chief 
among which are Big Sandy, Big Piney, Menards, Long King, and Kicka- 
poo creeks, besides numerous smaller streams, such as Tempe, Williams, 
Big, Long Tom, Rocky, Beaver, Caney, Brushy, Choate's, and Hickory. 
There are many fine springs, and wells are easily obtained. The water is 
generally freestone, but limestone and sulphur water are frequently found. 

About four-fifths of the entire area is adapted to purposes of cultivation, 
and the soils are divided between the deep, black lime land (part of which 
is prairie, and part timber), the stiff waxy land of the river bottoms, the al- 
luvial land on the creeks, the dark, sandy soil on the edges of the bottoms, 
the deep, mellow soil of the wild peach hammocks, the light, thin, pine up- 
lands, and the compact, gray and red sandy uplands. The sandy pine up- 
land is chiefly valuable for its timber, although on the borders of the streams 
much of it is fairly productive. All the other soils are very productive, 
and the black, tenacious lime lands and the " buck-shot " lands of the river 
bottoms are noted for their capacity to resist the effects of drouth. The 
rainfall is generally abundant at all seasons, and protracted drouths are very 
uncommon. The best soils, under favorable conditions, produce from two- 
thirds to one bale of cotton, and from 4 to 60 bushels of corn per acre, but 
the average yield of the whole county, one year with another, is but little 
more than half these outside figures. All vegetables common to the lati- 
tude are easily and abundantly grown. There are a number of fine or- 
chards in the county, and many apples, peaches, and plums are raised, 
but owing to the lack of railroad transportation, until a recent date, fruit 
growing for market, has received but little attention. Many varieties of native 
grapes abound in the woods, and so far as tested, domestic grapes have 
proved highly successful. In point of size and flavor, peaches and grape? 
grown in this county are unexcelled by those of any part of the State. 
The hammock lands return a very large yield of tobacco of superior quality. 

Good unimproved land is worth from $1 to $5 par acre, and improved 
tracts from $2 to #10, according to location and extent of improvements, 
There are about 20,000 acres of State school land in the county, which is held 
at $5 per acre, cash, for the pine timber land, and for all other lands at 
a mimimum price of from |l to $2, according to the water supply. 

Ordinary rail fencing costs about $100 per mile. Lumber is worth $10 
per 1000, at the mill, and by the car-load, $8.50 per 1000. Improved land 
rents for from $3 to $5, or for one-third the corn and one- fourth the cotton. 

Stockraising is usually carried on in connection with agriculture. There 
is much rich summer pasturage, and in many of the bottoms is a thick 
growth of switch cane, which constitutes good winter range; but in unusu- 



256 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

ally severe winters range stock require, besides the run of the fields, more 
or less feed. Work animals are fed at all seasons. The assessment rolls 
of 1882 show in the county, 9491 cattle, 2311 horses and mules, 773 sheep, 
and 11,573 hogs. The mast of the forests is, in many seasons, sufficient to 
fatten hogs for slaughter, without the aid of grain, and they are raised 
almost entirely on the open range. Work horses are worth about $50; 
mules, $75; oxen, $50 per yoke; beef, at retail, 4 to 6 cents; mutton, 8; 
pork, 5; bacon, 12| to 16 cents per pound; corn, 50 to 75 cents a bushel. 
Nearly every kind of game is abundant, and most varieties of fresh-water 
fish are plentiful in the larger streams. 

Large quantities of valuable sandstone, suitable for building purposes, is 
found in many parts of the county; also extensive beds of chalk, but the 
latter has not as yet been utilized or marketed. 

The Houston and East and West Texas Railway, constructed within the 
past year, runs through the county from southwest to northeast for forty- 
one miles, and has three stations, Goodrich, Livingston, and Moscow. Liv- 
ingston, the county seat, has 250 inhabitants and an aggregate trade of 
$100,000; Moscow, 350 inhabitants and a trade of $135,000. Some twelve 
or more steam saw mills are constantly engaged in the manufacture of lum- 
ber. There is valuable water power on several of the streams, which has 
been applied only in a small way. 

There are twelve Methodist churches, ten Baptist, three Christian, one 
Presbyterian, and one Catholic in the county, and church attendance is 
very general. The State free school fund is apportioned to a scholastic 
population of 1320, for which public free schools are provided; and there 
are, besides, two private schools of high grade, one at Moscow and one at 
Livingston. Prohibition of the sale of spirituous liquors, by a vote of the 
people of the county, under the local option statute, has been rigidly en- 
forced for a number of years, and, it is claimed, with the most salutary 
results. The county has a small floating debt, and levies a tax of 36 cents 
on the $100. In and near the bottoms of the rivers and creeks chills and 
fever are more or less prevalent in summer and fall, but the general eleva- 
tion, the complete drainage, and the extensive pine forests render the 
general health good at all seasons. The mean temperature in summer is 
about 80 deg. ; and in winter about 45 cleg. 



PRESIDIO COUNTY 

Extends from north latitude 29 deg. to 31 deg. 35 min., and from west 
longitude 102 deg. 45 min. to 105 deg., and is bounded on the west and 
south by the Rio Grande, on which stream it has a frontage of about 300 
miles. Area, 12,955 square miles. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — rRESIDIO COUNTY, 267 

Population in 1870 1,030 

Population in 1SS0 2,878 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 No Returns 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $751,041 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,392,246 

Assessed value of live stock in 18S1 90,037 

Assessed value of live stock in 18S2 100,251 

High, rolling, treeless plains, which at long intervals subside into narrow 
valleys, and again rise abruptly into mountains from 20C0 to 3000 feet high, 
present the general appearance of the county. 

The Rio Grande and Limpia creek are the principal water-courses, bo. 
sides which there are Rock, Cedar, Alamito, Pisano, San Francisco, Todillo, 
and other smaller streams. From these, and occasional springs and pools, 
the supply of water for all purposes is obtained. In the mountains there is 
a considerable quantity of large pine, which constitutes the chief timber 
resources of the county. Excellent fuel is easily and abundantly obtained 
from the roots of mesquite bushes, which lie near the surface, and bear a 
gre. r t disproportion to the size of the stock. 

Along the valley of the Rio Grande, and on some of the smaller streams, 
there are fertile valleys, which, so far as tested, have proved highly pro- 
ductive. Farming is confine;', however, almost exclusively to the valley of 
the Rio Grande, where are afforded convenient facilities for irrigation, 
which, owing to the light annual rainfall (23.48 inches), is necessary. 
Owing to the large territory and small and scattered population, accurate 
assessment of live stock is rendered extremely difficult, and it is believed 
the number actually in the county is much greater than ihat shown by the 
assessment rolls for 1882, viz: 576 horses and mules, 8448 cattle, 26,210 
sheep, and 7615 goats. Stock feed and keep in good condition the year 
round on the open range. The grasses are alike valuable for green pastur- 
age and for hay, which is cut in large quantities. The Texas and Pacific 
Railway runs through the northern part of the county, and the Mexican 
and Pacific extension of the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Rail- 
way through near the centre, from northwest to southeast. Fort Davis, 
the county seat, lies between the two railroads and is a town of about 500 
inhabitants, and is the location of a United States military post. Presidio 
del Norte, on the Pio Grande, about the middle of the western border of 
the county, has about 200 inhabitants. 

Mining experts express the opinion that valuable deposits of gold, silver, 
lead, and copper ores exist in the county. Cook & Co., capitalists, of San 
Francisco, with great experience in developing mining property, after a 
thorough examination of the surface croppings by experts, with results 
indicating an average of $25 of silver, and $10 of gold per ton of ore, have 
17 



258 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

begun the work of developing two mines, about 25 miles from Pi^sidio del 
Norte. 

The scholastic population is 306, but only a few free schools have been 
established, owing to the sparsely settled condition of the county. The 
Roman Catholic denomination has churches in the county. There are large 
bodies of State school land in the county, which can be bought at a mini- 
mum price of from $1 to $2 per acre, according to the water supply, payable 
in 20 annual installments, with 8 per cent interest. Land in the valleys, fit 
for cultivation, is held at from $1 to $2 per acre, and improved land at pro- 
portionately higher figures, and very little is for sale. The atmosphere is 
pure and bracing, and sickness of any kind is very rare. Malarial disease 
is unknown. 



RAINS COUNTY 

Lies on the head waters of the Sabine river, in Northeast Texas, in north 
latitude 32 deg. 50 min., and west longitude 95 deg. 4"> min. Formed in 
1870, of portions of adjoining counties. Area, 267 square miles. 

Population in 1 S80 3,035 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S81 $499,367 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 726,625 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 87,953 

The general surface is level or slightly undulating, with alternate forests 
and prairies, and traversed by numerous streams, which, in the southern 
portion, flow into Sabine river, the southern boundary of the county, and 
in the northern into the Lake Fork of the Sabine, which runs its course for 
twenty miles through the northeast corner. The smaller streams have their 
sources in, and are fed by, numerous bold, limpid springs, and in all parts 
of the county wells of good water are obtained at a shallow depth. 

About two-thirds of the area is covered with a heavy forest growth of 
oak of the several kinds, hickory, walnut, bitter pecan, ash, and hackberry, 
much of which is large and suitable for building, fencing, and mechanical 
purposes. It is estimated that nine-tenths of the lands are susceptible of 
profitable cultivation, and the soil is, for the most part, a dark loam, with 
considerable areas of gray sandy timbered, and black, tenacious lime prai- 
rie land. Under ordinarily favorable conditions, cotton produces, one year 
with another, from one-third to two-thirds of a bale per acre; corn, 25 
bushels; wheat, 10 to 15; oats, 25 to 35; barley, 30 to 50; molasses, 300 
gallons; sorghum syrup, 300; potatoes. Irish, 100 bushels; sweet, 200 to 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. RAINS COUNTY. 



259 



250; millet, 1£ to 3 tons; and vegetables of all kinds are grown in like 
proportion. Apples, peaches, pears, and plums are raised in great abund 
ance, and, with careful attention, the fruit readies a large size. The mear 
annual rainfall is about 45 inches, and is usually so distributed through the 
year as to render the seasons, for the most part, regular, and crops reasona- 
bly sure and uniform. Improved agricultural implements are used advan- 
tageously to a limited extent on the prairie lands. Unimproved farming 
land ranges in price from $1 to $4, improved tracts from $3 to $10, and 
cultivated land rents at from $2.50 to $4. Ordinary rail fencing costs 
$100 to $125 a mile. Pine lumber is worth from $20 to $25 per thousand 
feet. Hedges of the Osage orange are successfully grown. 

On the prairies the mesquite grass is abundant, and in the forests the 
viedge, the two furnishing good pasturage most of the year. In winter 
stock require the run of the fields or other pasture to carry them through in 
good condition. Although the county is not, strictly speaking, a stock county, 
stockraising is profitable when combined with agriculture. The assessment 
rolls of 1882 show, in the county, 1778 horses and mules, 5802 cattle, 1122 
sheep, and 5396 hogs. The latter are generally raised in the woods, and 
are frequently fattened for slaughter on the mast. Work horses are worth 
from $50 to $75; mules, $60 to $125; oxen, $40 to $60 a yoke. In the 
local markets beef retails at from 4 to 7 cents; mutton, 6 to 8; pork, 6 to 
8; bacon, 10 to 124; corn, 50 to 75 cents per bushel; flour, $3 to $4.50 per 
hundred. Domestic fowls are raised with but little cost in great numbers. 
There are a few deer and turkeys and considerable numbers of small game 
in the forests, and many of the common varieties of fish in the lakes and 
streams. 

The Denison and Southeastern division of the Missouri Pacific E,ailroad 
runs through the county from northwest to southeast, and has one station, 
Emery, the county seat, the only town in the county, a place of about 500 
inhabitants, with a good local trade. 

Free schools are provided for a scholastic population of 554, of which the 
daily average attendance is about 80 per cent. 

There are a number of churches, and in some neighborhoods one build- 
ing serves for both church and school house, and the attendance on religious 
services is very general. The county levies a tax of seven-tenths of one 
per cent ad valorem, and has a bonded debt of about $3000. 

In and near the creek bottoms malarial sickness is more or less prevalent 
in the summer and fall, but, with this exception, the general health is good 
in all seasons. The population, for the most part, is drawn from the better 
elements of the older States, and is intelligent, conservative, and law-abiding. 



260 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



RED RIVER COUNTY 

Lies on Rod River in the northeast corner of the State. Area, 1062 
square rniies. 

Population in 1870 10,653 

Population in 1880 (37 per cent colored) 17,194 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,449,612 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 2,295,731 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,41 1,009 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 280,434 

Along Red River, the northern boundary, and the North Sulphur Fork of 
that stream, the southern boundary, are dense bodies of timber which spread 
out toward the center of the county, and between them, from east to west, 
extends an undulating prairie, traversed at intervals by small creeks, which 
are skirted by timber, and divide the main prairie into a number of smaller 
ones. In the eastern part of the county is a body of heavily timbered land, 
interspersed with prairies, the whole area of prairies comprising about one- 
third of the entire county. In the northwestern portion is a section of 
country divided into rich creek bottoms and hilly uplands, covered with 
pine. Forestry Bulletin No. 1, issued by the United States Census Bureau, 
places the amount of merchantable short-leaf pine (pinus mitis) standing in 
the county on May 31, 1880, at 272,000,000 feet, board measure, but it is 
believed the actual amount is largely in excess of these figures. The lead- 
ing varieties of timber, besides pine, are post oak, red oak, pin oak, hickory, 
walnut, chinquapin oak, bois d'arc, cedar, pecan, elm, Cottonwood, and 
hackberry. Much of the timber is large and very valuable, the chinquapin 
oak and bois d'arc. by reason of their great durability and toughness of 
fibre, being much esteemed for the manufacture of wagons and agricul- 
tural implements, for which purpose they are largely employed. 

Mustang, Little Mustang, Little "White Oak, Big and Little Caney, and 
Cut Hand creeks flow southward into North Sulphur Fork, and Lower and 
Little Pine, Bason's, and Mill creeks and Pecan bayou flow northward into 
Red River. Cistern water is most used for domestic purposes in the prairie 
section, but in all other portions wells of pure water are obtained at a shal- 
low depth, and springs are quite numerous. 

The soil in the Red River bottoms is a rich alluvial deposit of great depth 
ai;d fertility; that of the belt of woodland lying between the Red River 
bottoms and the main prairie, a gray sandy; that of the prairies, a black 
waxy lime land; that of the pine uplands, generally a dark gray, or mulatto; 
while in the creek bottoms is a light, mellow loam, and on the uplands, 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — RED RIVFR COUNTY. 261 

between the North Sulphur and the prairies, a light sandy, on a clay foun- 
dation. The mean monthly rainfall, in inches, for the year 1880, was as 
follows. January, 1.25; February, 6.00; March, 4.00; April, 2.25; May, 
0.75; June, 6.00; July, 6.50; August, 0.00; September, 2.25; October, 2.00; 
November, 6.50; December, 1.00. For 1881: January, 5.50; February, 
3.00; March, 3.50; April, 1.00; May, 3.25; June, 0.25; July, 0.13; August, 
0.00; September, 0.12; October, 4.75; November, 2.25; December (half 
month), 3.50. Total for 1880, 384- inches; for 1881, a year of exceptional 
and widely extended drouth, 264^ inches. Ordinarily the lands in Red 
River bottom produce from three-fourths to a bale of cotton, and from 40 
to 60 bushels of corn per acre, and in some seasons the yield exceeds these 
figures; but for the entire county, one year with another, the yield is from 
one-third to one-half bale of cotton, 25 to 30 bushels of corn, 10 to 12 of 
wheat, 45 of oats, 40 of barley, 150 of sweet potatoes, 100 of Irish, 250 
gallons of molasses, 150 of sorghum syrup, 14; to 3 tons of millet, and all 
vegetables common to the latitude are grown in great abundance. Peacheo 
apples, pears, and plums, of the choicest varieties and in great perfection, 
are grown in large quantities. Apples of this county equal those raised in 
any part of the Southern States. Grapes, wild and domestic, grow luxu- 
riantly, and strawberries and raspberries do well. Wild land, suitable for 
farms, is worth from $1 to $5, and improved farms from $3 to $10 per 
acre, and cultivated land rents for from $3 to $5, or for one-third the corn 
and other crops, and one-fourth the cotton. Ordinary rail fencing costs 
from $100 to $125 per mile. Pine lumber is worth from 75 cents to $1, 
and oak from $1 to $1.25 per hundred, at the mills. Bois d'arc hedges, 
wherever properly cared for, have proved successful. 

The principal variety of grass is the sedge, which is found in most parts 
of the county, but does not afford good winter pasturage, and stock re- 
quires the run of the fields, small grain pastures, or more or less feed dur- 
ing that season. Stockraising is almost invariably combined with agricul- 
ture, and there are no large herds. According to the assessment rolls of 
1882, there are in the county 5944 horses and mules, 11,624 cattle, 1561 
sheep, and 11,714 hogs. The latter are easily and cheaply raised, as they 
receive but little attention, and live in the forests, on the mast on which 
they are fattened for slaughter in many seasons. Work horses are worth 
from $50 to $70; mules, $60 to $90; oxen, $50 to $60 per yoke; beef re- 
tails at from 6 to 8 cents; mutton, 10; pork, 8; bacon, 12; corn, 50 to 75 
cents per bushel; flour, $4.50 per hundred. Domestic fowls are raised in 
large numbers, and large and small game and fish are moderately plentiful. 

There are in the county six factories of wagons, plows, etc., 18 or 20 steam 
flouring and grist mills and cotton gins, 20 steam saw mills, and a sash and 
blind factory. On Bason's Mill creek is water power of considerable capac- 
ity, which is not, however, employed. 

The Transcontinental branch of the Texas and Pacific Railroad run3 



262 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

nearly centrally through the county from east to west, and has five stations, 
Douglass, Walker, Bagwell, Bennett, and Clarksville. The latter, the countj 
seat, is a handsomely built town of about 1500 inhabitants, and an aggre- 
gate trade of about $750,000, and is characterized by the intelligence, hos- 
pitability, and social culture of its citizens. 

The Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, Christian, Roman Catholic, and 
Episcopal denominations, and the colored Baptist and Methodist denomina- 
tions, have churches in the county, and religious services are well attended. 
Free schools are provided for a scholastic population of 3444, of which th« 
daily average attendance is 70 per cent. There are also a number of pri. 
vate schools, from the primary to the highest grade, all of which are well 
sustained. In a number of precincts, prohibition of the sale of spirituous 
liquors has been adopted, under the local option act, and is strictly enforced. 
The county levies a tax of 45 cents on the $100 value of property, and has 
no debt. 

On the river and large streams, in summer and fall, malarial sickness, 
generally of a mild type, sometimes occurs, but the general health of the 
county is excellent. This was among the earliest settled portions of the 
State, a number of families having located on its northern border as early 
as 1818, and there is much intelligence and refinement among the popula- 
tion. The mean temperature in summer is about 80 deg. Fahrenheit, and 
in winter 47 deg. 



REFUGIO COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 28 deg. 20 min., and west longitude 97 deg., and 
Refugio, the county seat, is about 35 miles north of the gulf port of Corpus 
Chris ti. Area, 850 square miles. 

Population in 1870 2,324 

Population in 1880* (one-fifth colored) 1,585 

* A portion of this county was taken, in 1871, to form Aransas county. 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $678,356 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,371,004 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,744,637 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 503,077 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 931,213 

Repeated applications made to the county judge and commissioners, 
and other officials of this county, have been unavailing to procure official 
statistical returns, but the following statement, made up from what is be- 
lieved to be reliable sources, may be relied upon as substantially correct. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. ROBERTSON COUNTY. 263 

The San Antonio river, the north boundary of the county, is joined near 
the northeastern corner by the Guadalupe river, and flows into San An- 
tonio bay, which bounds the county on the east. The Aransas river is the 
south boundary, line anil empties into Copano bay at the southeast corner. 
Medio and Blanco creeks unite near the centre of the county, and empty 
into Mission bay on the southeastern border. A large part of the county 
is a level gulf plain, covered with rich grasses, but occasionally rising into 
hills or undulating uplands, covered at intervals with a scattered growth of 
post oak, live oak, blackjack, and mesquite. Along the rivers and creeks 
are found pecan, ash, elm, anaqua, white oak, hackberry, and box elder in 
considerable quantities. The soils are divided between stiff, black " hog- 
wallow," dark sandy, gray sandy, and alluvial bottom land, and, so far as 
tested, most of these soils have proved highly productive. The rainfall, 
which is about 35 inches per annum, is somewhat irregular in its distribu- 
tion, and late crops frequently suffer from drouth. Farming, as a distinct 
pursuit, is but little followed, the attention of the inhabitants being chiefly 
directed to stockraising. Nearly the entire area is covered with rich 
grasses, principally the mesquite, and there are many large enclosed pas- 
tures. Stock are raised the year round on the native grasses, and keep in 
good condition. The assessment rolls of 1882 show, in the county, 5265 
horses and mules, 84,884 cattle, 5994 sheep, 554 goats, and 990 hogs. 
Many varieties of fresh and salt-water fish are abundant; ducks and geese 
are numerous in the winter season, and game of several kinds is in consid- 
erable supply in most parts of the county. The unobstructed gulf breeze 
prevails at all seasons, and the climate is mild, equable, and in the highest 
degree healthy 



ROBERTSON COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 31 deg., and west longitude 96 deg. 30 min., be- 
tween the Navasota and Brazos rivers, which form respectively its northeast- 
ern and southwestern boundaries. Calvert, its chief shipping point, is 129 
miles northwest of the city of Houston, by the line of the Houston and 
Texas Central Railway. Area. 869 square miles. 

Population in 1870 9,990 

Population in 1880 (48 per cent colored) 22,383 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 &2, 222, 391 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 3,696,520 

Assessed value of live stock in 188? 358,405 

The county is made up of slightly undulating timbered lands, inter- 



264 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



spersed with small prairies, and occasionally rising into sandy, wooded hills, 
between which flow creeks bordered by wide bottoms. Little Brazos rivei 
flows from north to south, near and parallel with the southwest border of 
the county, and tributary to it are Pin Oak, Walnut, Spring, Campbell's, and 
Muddy creeks, all small but unfailing streams. Duck, Steel's, Mineral, and 
Big Cedar creeks flow through the northern and southeastern parts of the 
county into the Navasota river. Springs are not numerous, but wells are 
easily obtained, and supply abundant water for domestic purposes. Cisterns, 
however, are preferred, and very generally used. 

About four-fifths of the area is covered with timber, consisting, on 
the uplands, chiefly of post oak, red oak, blackjack, hickory, and elm, and 
in the bottoms of pin oak, walnut, pecan, cedar, ash, red and black haw, Cot- 
tonwood, and several other varieties. Much of the bottom timber is large 
and suitable for building and general purposes. 

The soil of the prairies is a dark chocolate sandy, that of the river bot- 
toms a stiff reddish-brown or black alluvium, and that of the uplands is di- 
vided between a light gray and a red and dark loam. In the narrow bot- 
toms bordering the smaller streams, the soil is frequently a deep, mellow 
mold, and on the sides of the surrounding hills, a light loam. One year 
with another, the uplands yield from one-third to one-half, and the bottom 
lands from one-half of a bale to one bale of cotton per acre, and the former 
25 to 30, and the latter 35 to 50 bushels of corn. Oats, rye, barley, and 
millet all yield well. Sweet and Irish potatoes, and all kinds of vegetables 
are grown in great abundance. There are many fine orchards in the covmty, 
and large quantities of peaches, plums, and grapes are raised. Apples 
and pears have not been extensively planted, but, so far as tested, have 
done only moderately well. Pecans, walnuts, hickory nuts, dewberries, and 
blackberries are indigenious to the soil, and grow in great profusion. The 
mean annual rainfall is about 40 inches, and is usually so distributed through 
the year, that crops rarely suffer seriously from drouth. 

"Wild uplands, suitable for farms, are held at from $2 to $5, bottom lands 
$5 to $10 per acre, and improved tracts at about twice these figures. Or 
dinary rail fencing costs from $100 to $125 a mile. Pine lumber is worth 
$17 per thousand. Cultivated uplands rent for from $2 to $4, and bottom 
lands for from $4 to $5 per acre. Although this is not a stockraising county, 
nearly all farmers raise enough to supply domestic needs. The range is 
good for the greater part of the year, but in winter stock requires the run 
of the fields, pastures, or more or less feed, the chief varieties of grass being 
sedge and crab, which afford indifferent winter pasturage. The assessment 
rolls of 1882 give the number of stock in the county as follows: Horses and 
mules, 8812; cattle, 19,173; sheep, 4197; goats, 231; hogs, 10,371. The 
mast of the pecan, post oak, red oak, pin oak, and blackjack is frequently 
sufficient to fatten hogs for pork without other feed, and they are easily 
and cheaply raised. Work horses are worth from $40 to $60; mules, $50 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — RORERTSON COUNTY. 265 

to $100; oxen, $40 to $60 per yoke. Beef retails at 5 to 7 cents; mutton, 
6 to 7; pork, 5 to 6; bacon, 10 to 15; corn, 50 to 75 cents per bushel; flour, 
$4 to $5 per hundred. Every family raises large numbers of domestic 
fowls, and in some portions of the county deer, turkeys, squirrels, and othei 
game is abundant. In winter water-fowl visit the lakes and streams in 
large numbers. All the ordinary varieties of fresh-water fish are numerous 
in the larger streams. The manufacturing interests of the county are lim- 
ited, a brass and iron foundry at Calvert being the most important. 

The Houston and Texas Central Railway runs through the county from 
southeast to northwest, and has five stations, Benchley, Hearne. Calvert, 
Hammond, and Bremond. The International and Great Northern Railway 
runs through it nearly centrally, from northeast to southwest, and has three 
stations, Lake, Franklin, and Hearne. Calvert has about 2500 inhabitants; 
Hearne, 1500; Bremond, 800; and Franklin, 500. Calvert, formerly the 
county seat, has ample banking facilities, and its shipments of cotton 
and other produce, and its general merchandise sales, are large. Hearne is 
the point of junction of the Houston and Texas Central and International 
and Great Northern Railways, and Bremond is the point of deflection of 
the Waco and Northwestern division of the Houston and Texas Central 
Railway. About three miles from Bremond is located the health and 
pleasure resort known as Wootan's Wells, the waters of which possess val- 
uable medicinal properties. A handsome hotel and many cottages have 
been erected, and the number of invalids and pleasure-seekers is large every 
season. Franklin, recently established as the county seat, is a prosperous, 
growing village. The county court house and jail are handsomely and sub- 
stantially built of stone, and cost, respectively, $40,000 and $20,000. 

The Roman Catholics and all the leading Protestant denominations have or- 
ganized churches and houses of worship, and regular religious services of 
the Jewish church are held at Calvert. 

The State free school fund is apportioned to a scholastic population of 
3075. and schools are established for whites and blacks in proportion to 
numbers. There are several private schools of primary grade, and one or 
more private high schools. The county has a small floating debt and a 
bonded debt of $25,000, incurred in the erection of the court house and 
jail, which is being rapidly discharged. The county levies a general tax of 
45 cents on the 8100, and the bonded debt is provided for by a special tax 
of one-fourth of one per cent ad valorem. 

Malaiial attacks in the form of chills and fever are more or less frequent 
on or near the river and creek bottoms in summer and fall, but are of a 
mild and easily controlled type; in other portions of the county the general 
standard of health is high. The population is intelligent, conservative and 
law-abiding. 



266 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



ROCKWALL COUNTY 

Is in North Central Texas, and the county seat, of the same name, is 24 
miles northeast of the city of Dallas. It was formed in 1873 of portions of 
adjoining counties, and is the smallest county in the State. Area, 150 
square miles. 

Population in 1 880 (3 per cent colored) 2,984 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $870,926 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 921,583 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 123,896 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 149,968 

Almost the entire surface is high, rolling prairie, fringed on the western 
border by a growth of timber from one to two miles wide, which marks 
the course of the East or Bois dArc Fork of Trinity river. The bottoms 
bordering that stream are depressed from 50 to 100 feet below the general 
level of the county. The bois d'arc is the most abundant variety of timber, 
but there are in addition, walnut, pecan, burr and Spanish oak, elm, and 
ash in considerable quantities. It is estimated that there is enough of the 
bois d'arc to supply posts sufficient to fence the entire county into 20-acre 
lots. The East Fork of the Trinity is the largest water-course, and has an 
irregular channel of from 40 to 60 feet in width. Its tributaries are all 
small streams, scarcely rising above the designation of branches. There are 
a few springs of good water, but cisterns are most used for domestic pur- 
poses. The soil is compact and tenacious, and tanks or artificial ponds are 
easily constructed so as to hold water the year round, and are much used 
for supplying stock water. 

The soil of the entire county is a black waxy lime land, from 6 to 16 
feet deep, and underlaid with pipe clay. It is well drained, and is noted 
for its fertility and drouth resisting capacity. It produces a large yield 
of core, cotton, wheat, oats, rye, barley, millet, sorghum, and vegeta- 
bles. Peaches, plums, pears and grapes are successfnlly grown, and the 
fruit is of large size and excellent quality. There is scarcely an acre of 
really sterile land in the county, and it is estimated that one-third of the 
area is in cultivation. Unimproved land is worth from $5 to $15, improved 
tracts are held at twice these figures, and cultivated land usually rents for 
$3 per acre. Fencing is constructed almost exclusively of bois d'arc posts, 
barbed wire, and one or two planks, and costs about $250 a mile. The 
bois d'arc posts possess great durability, being usually found to be as sound 
at the end of twenty-five years as when first set. Bois d'arc hedges, when 
properly cared for, prove highly successful. Pine lumber is worth from 
$22 to $25 per thousand feet. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. RUNNELS COUNTY. 267 

A large portion of the county is enclosed. Stock are mainly raised in 
pastures, and in winter require more or less feed. The native grasses are, 
in otner seasons, abundant and nutritious. Bermuda grass is being set to a 
considerable extent in many enclosures, and it is found to be very valuable 
for pasturage. Much attention is being paid to improved breeds of stock. 
The tax rolls show in the county in 1882, 5399 cattle, 2211 horses and 
mules, 308 sheep, 1796 hogs. Work horses are worth from $50 to $75; 
mules, $75 to $100; oxen, $40 to $60 per yoke. Beef retails at from 6 to 
7; mutton, 6 to 10; pork, 6 to 8; bacon, 12 to 15 cents a pound; corn, 
from 50 to 75 cents per bushel; flour, $4 per hundred. All kinds of do- 
mestic fowls are raised in large numbers. A few deer and many squirrels 
are found in the bottoms, and ducks are numerous in winter. Prairie chick- 
ens, quail, and other feathered game are abundant. Fish are scarce, only 
a few of the ordinary varieties being found in the streams. The county 
seat is about twelve miles distant from the nearest station on the Texas and 
Pacific Railway, and a branch of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway 
is projected to pass through the county, and will be built at an early day. 

There are three Methodist, one Missionary Baptist, and one Christian 
church in the county, and the Cumberland Presbyterian and Primitive Bap- 
tist denominations have church organizations. Free schools are provided 
for a scholastic population of 538, and the average attendance is very good. 
The county has a large and substantial court house and jail, and the tax of 
fifty cents on the one' hundred dollars, now in process of collection, will, it 
is believed, pay off all the indebtedness. 

There are no local causes of malaria; the well drained prairies are swept 
almost continually by a strong breeze, and the county is more than ordina 
rily healthy. The county, though small in area, ranks with the foremost 
both in the fertility of its soil and the character of hs population. 



RUNNELS COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 31 deg. 50 min.. and west longitude 100 deg., and 
the county seat, of the same name, is about 160 miles northwest of the city 
of Austin, and about 45 miles south of Abilene, the nearest station on the 
Texas and Pacific Railway. Organized in 1880. Area, 990 square miles. 

Population in 1880 (13 colored) 980 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $665,071 

Assessed value of taxable property in 18S2 902,65 1 

Assessed value of live stock in 188 1 306,7 1 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 442,599 



268 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF | 

The main topographical features of the county are high rolling prairies, 
rising into an occasional mountain peak in the northern part, covered more 
or less densely with mesquite timber, with small bodies of post oak scattered 
here and there, and a thin growth of pecan, walnut, elm. hackberry, and 
willow on the streams, the aggregate area of wooded land being about one- 
tenth of the county. 

The Colorado river flows through the southern part from northwest to 
southeast. It is a constantly running stream, averaging about 60 feet in 
width, and with slightly brackish water. Distributed at somewhat regular 
intervals are a number of streams, which rise in the northern part of the 
county and flow south into the Colorado, chief among which are Oak, Elm, 
and Valley creeks, and tributary to these are a large number of smaller 
streams, fed in turn by springs, altogether affording an unusually abund- 
ant water supply. Wells of good water are easily obtained in most parts 
of the county. 

It is estimated that three-fourths of the area is well adapted to cultiva- 
tion. The soil is, for the most part, a reddish and a dark sandy, that in the 
valleys and bordering the streams being more or less alluvial and loamy in 
character. The area in cultivation is very small, but so far as the soil has 
been tested it has proved fairly productive, returning, under favorable con- 
ditions, a yield of from 400 to 600 pounds of cotton in the seed per acre, 
20 bushels of corn, 12 to 18 of wheat, 40 of oats, 20 of rye, 30 to 40 of 
barley, 75 bushels of Irish and 125 of sweet potatoes, 2 tons of millet; and 
all the ordinary vegetables do moderately well. Improved agriaultural 
implements can be used to great advantage, but are not employed as yet to 
any considerable extent. The pecan and wild plum trees yield well, but as 
yet little attention has been paid to cultivated fruits, though it is believed 
the soil and climate are favorable to their growth. The mean annual rain- 
fall is about 27 inches, and is usually so distributed as to insure winter and 
spring crops, but more or less protracted drouths sometimes prevail in sum- 
mer, though irrigation, as a rule, is not deemed indispensable to fairly 
successful farming. 

Wild land, suitable for farms, is worth from 50 cents to $1.50, and im- 
proved tracts from $2 to $3 per acre. There are large bodies of State 
school lands in the county, which can be bought for a minimum price of 
from $1 to $2 per acre, according to the water supply, payable in twenty 
annual installments at 8 per cent interest. Cultivated land rents for from $2 
to $3 per acre, or for one-third the grain and one-fourth the cotton. Stock- 
raising is the almost exclusive pursuit of the inhabitants. Nearly the entire 
surface of the county is covered with a rich growth of mesquite grass, on 
which range stock keep in good condition the year round, without other 
feed. On January 1, 1882, there were in the county, according to the assess- 
ment rolls, 1474 horses and mules, 41,793 cattle, 29,655 sheep, 241 goats, 
and 693 hogs. Work horses, mules, and oxen, and butcher's meat of all 



TEXA? BY COUNTIES. — RUSK COUNTY. 269 

kinds, except pork, are cheap in the home market; and corn sells for from 75 
cents to $1.50 per bushel; flour, $5 per hundred. Sheep are generally healthy, 
require no feed, their annual increase is from 50 to 75 per cent, and the av- 
erage weight of annual fleece is about 5 to 6 pounds. Many varieties of 
game are abundant, such as antelope, deer, turkeys, prairie chickens, quail, 
and squirrels. Black bear are also occasionally found. Fish are mod- 
erately plentiful in the larger streams. Abilene, on the Texas and Pacific 
Railway, is the chief shipping point of the county. The water power of the 
Colorado is believed to be valuable, but has not as yet been utilized. There 
are two private schools of the third grade in the county, and free schools 
are provided for a scholastic population of 110. The Baptist, Methodist, 
Christian, and Presbyterian denominations have church organizations, but 
church conveniences are not as yet very good. The population is progres- 
sive, law-abiding and peaceable. The county has no debt, and levies a 
tax of 50 cents on the $100. The general elevation is high, the atmosphere 
pure and dry, and serious sickness of any kind is rare. A constant breeze 
prevails in summer, hot and sultry nights are almost unknown, while the 
"northers," being the only cold weather ever experienced, never prevail 
longer than three days at a time. 



RUSK COUNTY 

Lies in the second tier of counties west of the eastern boundary of the 
State, in north latitude 32 deg. 10 min. Henderson, the county seat, is 226 
miles northeast of the city of Houston, by the Henderson and Overton, 
connecting with the International and Great Northern Railway. Area, 
917 square miles. 

Population in 1870 16,916 

Population in 1880 (43 per cent colored) 18,986 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S70 $1,580,028 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,393,204 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 326,144 

The county is on the divide between the Sabine river on the east and the 
Angelina river on the west, into which streams, through their numerous 
tributaries, thorough drainage is effected. Shawnee creek in the southern 
part, Martin's in the east, and Cherokee bayou on the north, and many 
smaller streams, distribute an unfailing supply of water over all parts ol 
the county. Many of the streams are fed by springs, and run boldly at all 
seasons. Wells are easily obtained and are largely used, and most of the 



270 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

water is pure freestone. Near Mount Enterprise, are valuable mineral 
springs, the waters of which possess great medicinal virtue. 

The face of the county is marked by gently sloping hills, narrow valleys, 
and dales, and about four-fifths of the surface is clothed with a dense forest 
growth, composed chiefly of pine, red, white, and post oak, blackjack, and 
hickory on the uplands, and of white oak, red oak, ash, walnut, mulberry, 
ironwood, gum, elm, beech, and dogwood in the bottoms. Much of the 
timber is valuable for fencing, building, and manufacturing purposes. As 
estimated by the United States Census Bureau, there was standing in the 
county, on May 31, 1880, of merchantable short-leaf pine (pinus mitis), 
2,230,400,000 feet, board measure; and of the loblolly pine [pinus tceda), 
585,600,000 feet. 

In the narrow valleys bordering the streams the soil is generally a mellow 
alluvium, and that of the uplands is divided between a gray, a red, and a 
chocolate, sandy land, the first named predominating. The two last are 
equally esteemed for wheat and other grain as for cotton. The pine uplands 
are generally light and inferior, and valuable chiefly for the timber. With 
this exception, all these lands are well adapted to a variety of products, are 
easy of cultivation, and characterized by a uniformity of fair crops rather 
than very large yields. Cotton, corn, wheat, sugar cane, sorghum, sweet 
and Irish potatoes, millet, melons, and all other field and garden products* 
are raised in large quantities. Experience has demonstrated that tobacco 
grown in this portion of the State is equal to that grown in any part of the 
South. Sixty bushels of rice to the acre has been made on bottom lands 
in this county, without irrigation. Much attention is paid to fruit growing, 
and peaches, plums, apples, peats, grapes, raspberries, and strawberries, of 
the choicest varieties, are successfully grown. The soil seems specially 
adapted to the vine, and grapes yield heavily, and are singularly exempt 
from disease. Apples grown in this section of the State, and exhibited at 
the Internationa] Exhibition at Atlanta, Ga., were not excelled by those on 
exhibition from any part of the United States, in size and keeping qualities. 
The mean annual rainfall is about 48 inches, and the seasons are generally 
propitious for diversified farming. 

Unimproved land is worth from $1 to $5 an acre, improved tracts from 
$3 to $7, and the usual rental of farms one-third of the grain and one- 
fourth of the cotton. Pine lumber is worth $12.50 per 1000 feet, at the 
mills. 

The chief variety of grass is the sedge, and the range in many parts of 
the county has been greatly impaired by the dense undergrowth, but as it is es- 
timated that less than 75,000 acres are enclosed for farms, the summer range 
for stock is still moderately good. In winter stock requires the run of the 
fields, small grain pasturage, and more or less feeding though much of it 
lives almost entirely on the range. Stockraising is not carried on as a sep- 
arate pursuit, but nearly every farmer raises enough for domestic use 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — SABINE COUNTY. 



271 



inhere were in the county on January 1, 1882, according to the assessment 
rolls of that year, 3984 horses and mules, 14,102 cattle, 2352 sheep, 822 
goats, and 21,988 hogs. The latter are raised almost exclusively in the 
woods, with little trouble or expense, and in many seasons are fattened al- 
together on the mast. Work horses are worth from $40 to $80; mules, $50 
to $90; oxen, §40 to $00 a yoke. In the home markets beef retails at from 
6 to 7 cents a pound; mutton. 8 to 10; pork 6 to 8;' bacon, 10 to 12; corn, 
50 to 75 cents a bushel; flour. $4.50 to $5 per hundred. Domestic fowls 
are raised in large numbers, game is moderately abundant, and the ordi- 
nary varieties of small fish are quite numerous in the streams. 

Excellent potter's clay is found in large quantities, iron ore of the best 
quality is very abundant, and only capital and enterprise are needed to de- 
velop the mineral resources of the county. No mining has as yet been done. 
One foundry, operating on a small scale, is profitably carried on at Overton. 

The International and Great Northern Railroad runs through the north- 
west corner of the county, and from Overton a branch extends to Hender- 
son, sixteen miles. Henderson is a prosperous town, with about 2000 to 
2500 inhabitants, and a considerable trade. Overton, with about 400 inhab- 
itants, is the center of a thriving neighborhood, and there are a number of 
villages in the county containing one or more stores and a postoffice. 

There are one hundred public free schools organized for 5976 children 
within the scholastic age, being the largest proportion of children to total 
population exhibited by any county in the State. There are also a number 
of private schools. Most of the leading denominations have church build- 
ings in Henderson, and there are one or more churches in every rural 
neighborhood. The county has no debt, and levies a tax of one-fifth of 
one per cent ad valorem. 

This is one of the long-settled counties of the State, retarded until re- 
cently by lack of railway facilities, and has always held a high place for the 
conservative character and general intelligence of its people. Few commu- 
nities, in any county, enjoy better health. 



SABINE COUNTY 

Lies on the Sabine river, the eastern boundary of the State, about 120 
miles north of the port of Sabine Pass. Area, 572 square miles. 

Population in 1870 , . . 3,256 

Population in 1880 (26 per cent colored) 4,161 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $305,381 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 332,664 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 406,29-8 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 82,796 



272 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

The northern portion is slightly rolling or undulating, and the remainder 
of the county generally level. Originally the whole surface was covered 
by a heavy forest growth, consisting of hickory, red oak, white oak, black- 
jack, sweet gum, and pine, and only a small proportion has been cleared off 
for cultivation or the timber cut for building purposes. The estimated 
amount of merchantable long-leaf pine [pinus Australis) standing in the 
county, May 31, 1880, as given by the Forestry Bulletin of the United 
States Census Bureau, was 1,648,000,000 feet, board measure. The Sabine 
river, and Patroon, Palogocho, Housan, Six -Mile, and Sandy creeks, with 
their many tributaries, afford an ample and widely distributed supply of 
water for stock and general purposes, and numerous springs and wells are 
an unfailing source of pure and palatable water for domestic use. The 
mean annual rainfall is about 45 inches, and the seasons, as a rule, are suffi- 
ciently regular to insure uniformly fair crops. The northern part is of a 
free, easily cultivated, and fairly fertile soil, much of it being a dark allu- 
vial, with a large admixture of sand. The southern part is of a light, sandy 
soil, fairly well adapted to small farming, where stockraising and agricul- 
ture are judiciously combined. In other parts are found a reddish soil, 
which is esteemed as especially adapted to small grain, and a light, whitish 
gray soil, of an inferior quality for cultivation, but rich in its native crop of 
towering pine forests. Under favorable conditions, the valley or loam 
lands will yield, per acre, 600 to 800 pounds of cotton in the seed; 25 to 30 
bushels of corn, 30 of oats, 80 of Irish and 200 of sweet potatoes, and 
vegetables and melons in like proportion. Peaches, plums, figs, quinces, 
summer apples, and strawberries are easily and abundantly raised. Rasp- 
berries require more care and cultivation, but blackberries and dewberries 
are found everywhere in unusual perfection in the forests. Unimproved 
lands can be bought, in quantities to suit, at $1 per acre; improved lands, 
with 15 to 20 per cent in cultivation and the necessary houses, wells, and 
other conveniences, at $5; and farms rent from $2.50 to $3 per acre, or 
one-fourth the cotton and one-third the corn and other products. Farm 
laborers are paid $10 per month, with board. 

The assessment rolls for 1882 credit the county with 5951 cattle, 1233 
horses and mules, 995 sheep, and 3853 hogs. The latter are raised with 
small expense on the open range, and require little care or attention. The 
native grasses are moderately abundant and nutritious for a heavily tim- 
bered country, and afford good summer pasturage, but are not sufficient to 
carry cattle, horses, mules, or sheep through the winter without the run of 
the fields, or small grain pasturage and a liberal allowance of feed. For 
this reason, no mora stock is generally raised by each farmer than is neces- 
sary to supply home use and consumption. 

The chief wealth of the county is in its pineries, and this has remained 
undeveloped for the lack of facilities of transportation. This barrier to its 
progress is now in a fair way to be removed by the Sabine Pass and Texas 



TEXA: BY COUNTIES.— SAN AUGUSTINE COUNTY. 273 

Northern Railway, which is projected to run through the western part of 
the county, and is in course of construction. There is water power of large 
capacity in the Sabine river and several of its tributaries, which is now ap- 
plied for driving twelve saw and grist mills, whose products are limited to 
the home demand. 

There are twenty-eight public free schools for 375 white and nine for 154 
colored children within the scholastic age. There are also several private 
schools of medium grade, in the county, and a high school at Hemphill, which 
is well sustained. Of the religious denominations, the Baptist, Methodist, 
and Christian have the most numerous membership, and are well supplied 
with church buildings. The people are law-abiding, and a conservative 
oublic sentiment is largely in the ascendant. 

The health of the county is very good, except in the valleys and near the 
streams, where, in the autumn, intermittent fevers, generally not serious in 
their character, sometimes prevails to a greater or less extent 



SAN AUGUSTINE COUNTY 

Lies on the Angelina river, in north latitude 31 deg. 20 min., and is sep- 
arated from the east boundary of the State by the county of Sabine. Area, 
564 square miles. 

Population in 1870 4,196 

Population in 1880 (38 per cent colored) 5,084 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $405,807 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 561,270 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 113,132 

The surface is generally high and rolling, with a large number of bold, 
clear, unfailing streams flowing through it from north to south. The north- 
west and northeast portions are broken and hilly, the hills being of moder- 
ate elevation, exhibiting in many places surface indications of iron ore, and 
covered with forests of short-leaf pine. In all other portions the pine is 
long- leaf, and four-fifths of the area is studded with a heavy growth of pine, 
oak of the several varieties, hickory, elm, hackberry, and gum, with an 
undergrowth of dogwood and hawthorn. On the streams are found in 
great abundance white oak and scalybark hickory, which are esteemed 
among the best of material for the manufacture of wagons, carriages, and 
agricultural implements. The amount of merchantable long-leaf pine 
us Australis) standing in the county in 1880, as estimated by the United 
States Census Forestry Bureau, was 1,625,600,000 feet, board measure 
18 



274 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

The Angelina river and Altoyac bayou, both large streams, form the 
southern and western boundary lines for a distance of sixty miles, and Ayish 
bayou and Iron Ore and Palogocho creeks, with their many large and small 
tributaries, are very generally distributed throughout the county. Springs 
of pure freestone water are very numerous, and wells can be obtained at any 
desired point at a depth of fifteen to twenty feet. The mean annual rain- 
fall is about 45 inches, and the seasons, as a rule, are propitious for diver- 
sified farming. 

In the section known as the "red belt," about nineteen miles long by 
three and a half wide, the prevailing soils are the red waxy and the red 
sandy lands, with a smaller proportion of the black waxy and a dark loam 
in the bottoms, and these comprise the lands most esteemed for cultivation. 
Outside of this belt there is a chocolate loam which is fairly productive, 
and the light, gray sandy lands of the pine forests which, except in the 
creek valleys and hammocks, are inferior soils, and valuable chiefly for the 
timber and for grazing. 

Under proper culture, the yield per acre of the uplands is, of cotton 700 
pounds in the seed, and of the river bottoms and creek valleys, 1000 pounds; 
of corn, on the uplands, 25 bushels, and in the bottoms, 40; oats yield 40 
bushel, and ribbon sugar cane, in the creek valleys, will produce 250 to 
300 gallons of syrup to the acre. All garden vegetables and melons are 
successfully raised, and peaches, plums, and summer apples, raspberries, and 
strawberries do well. Blackberries, dewberries, gooseberries, and whortle- 
berries, and also hickory nuts, are the bountiful products of the forest. 

Good farming lands, unimproved, are held at $2 to $5 per acre; improved 
tracts, with the necessary buildings, at $5 to $9, and land in cultivation, 
with houses for tenants, rents at about $3 per acre. Farm laborers are in 
great demand, and are paid from $12 to $15 per month, with board. There 
are thirty sections of school lands in the county, of fair average quality, 
which are held at a minimum price of $5 per acre, cash, for pine timbered 
land, and at $1 to $2 per acre for all other lands, payable in twenty an- 
nual installments, with 8 per cent interest. 

The original native grasses are fast disappearing, and giving place to the 
Bermuda, cane, and "nimble will" grasses and the Japan clover, which are 
all regarded as superior, and to a large, flat, perennial grass, which affects 
the low black lands, and is the best of the incoming grasses. The assess- 
ment rolls of 1881 credit the county with 1667 horses and mules, 8678 cat- 
tle, 17S5 sheep, and 10,841 hogs. All kinds of stock, except hogs, require 
the run of the fields, small grain pasturage, and more or less feed during 
the winter. On the excellent mast of hickory nuts and acorns, which is 
generally abundant, hogs are raised with only enough corn to keep them 
gentle, and are fattened for pork by plentiful feed for three weeks. 

There are a large number of water powers in the county, now applied in 
a small way to run ten or twelve grist mills, and a smaller number of saw 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES.— SAN JACINTO COUNTY. 275 

mills, whose products are limited to the narrow home demand. Iron Ore 
creek and Ayish bayou are large and perpetual streams, and are believed to 
be capable of furnishing ample and uninterrupted water to drive machinery 
of very large capacity. Iron ore — the gray solid and the blue honey-comb 
ore — some of which yields ninety per cent of iron, is found in large quanti- 
ties in the hilly sections of the county. Two beds of kaolin clay, with strata 
two feet in thickness, and free from grit, have been discovered on Pine 
mountain, in the southwest part of the county. There are also two springs 
from v hich crude petroleum flows in considerable quantities. 

This county, so long retarded in its progress by the lack of facilities of 
transportation, is now in a fair way of having that barrier removed. The 
Sabine and East Texas Railway, which is completed to Rockland, within 
fifteen miles of the southern boundary, is projected to pass through the 
county from southwest to northeast, and there is every reason to believe it 
will be pushed forward without delay. The Sabine Pass and Texas Northern 
Railw ay is also projected o pass through the county, and is in course of 
construction. 

San Augustine, the county seat, and the only town in the county, has 
about 800 inhabitants, and an annual trade of $250,000. It sustains one 
private school of high grade, where students are prepared to enter the 
sophomore class of colleges. There are 15 public free schools in the county, 
of which three are for colored children, for a scholastic population of 1061, 
and the average daily attendance for the term is 75 per cent. The Baptist, 
Methodist, Christian, Episcopal, and Roman Catholic denominations all 
have several churches, and each a considerable number of members. The 
people are orderly and law-abiding, and the official returns state that there 
has not been a serious offense committed in the county in the past five years. 

The red land section of the county is exceptionally healthy, and in other 
portions serious sickness is of rare occurrence. 



SAN JACINTO COUNTY 

Has a frontage of about 60 miles, by the course of the stream, on Trinity 
river, which forms its eastern and northern boundary, and Shepherd, the 
principal shipping point, is 56 miles east of north of the city of Houston, 
by the line of the Houston and East and West Texas Railway. Tin- 
county was formed of portions of adjoining counties in 1870. Area, 637 
square miles. 

Population in 18S0 (52 per cent colored) 6,186 

A 3£H '-sed value of taxable property in 1881 $721,313 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 784,815 



276 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 $85,787 

Asse-sed value of live stock in 1SS12 95,372 

With the exception of a small area of prairie along the river and in the 
extreme southeastern portion, the entire surface was originally covered 
with a heavy forest growth. In some parts it rises into hills, covered 
with pine, interspersed with the several kinds of oak: and again there are 
areas of fiat or slightly undulating pine uplands, traversed at intervals by 
streams, along which are narrow bottoms, thickly studded with white oak. 
pin oak. water oak. magnolia, ash. beech, ironwood. chinquapin, gum. wal- 
nut, sassafras and many other kinds of timber. In the broad bottoms 
bordering the Trinity is found a denser, heavier forest of the same kinds of 
trees, and. in addition, extensive orchards of the pecan, which yield large 
crops of valuable nuts, and generally more abundantly in alternate years. 
Most of the timber is large, and much of it very valuable for lumber and 
building purposes. The amount of merchantable loblolly pine (pinu< 

ling in the county, May 31, 1880, as given by the United States Census 
Forestry Bureau, was J, 833, 600,000 feet, board measure. 

Trinity and East San Jacinto rivers, and Pool's. Palmetto. Stephano, 
Mill. Bay. Big. and Peach creek, and Winter's bayou, and their many small 
tributaries, are well distributed throughout the county. There are many 
bold springs in the sandy lands, but in the black lands there are few or 
none, and the well water is often impi g I with lime, but generally the 

water is pure freestone, and wells are obtained at an average depth of 
twenty-five feet in almost any section of the count;.-. 

Extending back from Trinity river for several miles the soil is a deep. 

Bandy or a black, waxy lime land; on the creeks a rich, alluvial, sandy 

mold: and on the uplands a light gray piney-woods land: and a deep, white, 

se sand on the chinquapin hillsides and flats. The pine woods are in- 

at rare intervals, with small areas of prairie, with a rich, 

tenacious, waxy, lime soil, but most of the pine uplands is of in! 

v. and valuable chiefly for the timber. The best river and creek bot- 
tom lands often yield from two-thirds of a bale to a bale of cotton, and 
from 4 to 60 bushels of corn per acre, and the uplands about half as much; 
but the arable lands of the county, taking a series of years, will av 
from one-third to a half bale of cotton, or '25 bushels of corn per acre. 
Oats, millet, sweet and Irish | s melons and vegetables are abundant. 

and almost unfailing crops. An excess rather than a scarcity of rain 
is most common, and crops rarely suffer seriously from drouth, the 
lands especially being noted for their capacity to resist its effects. Ordi- 
nal fencing costs from >>" to $110 a mile. Lumber is worth $12 
thousand. Unimproved land, suitable for farms, is worth from > 
and improved : - m %S to |20 an acre, and farms are rented at from 
(2 1 | or one-third of the ^rain and one-fourth of the cotton. Consider- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. SAN JACINTO COUNTY. 277 

able quantities of excellent fruit is raised, and peaches, summer apples, and 
pears do well, especially the first named, which, in many seasons, are of 
large size and fine flavor, and ripen as early as the twentieth of May, and 
as late as the twenty-fifth of October. 

The prevailing grass is the sedge, which is very abundant, and there is, 
besides, the ordinary bunch grass on the prairies and the gamma grass on 
the margins of the river bottoms. In some of the creek bottoms is a luxu- 
riant growth of switch cane, which affords fine winter pasturage. Stock- 
raising, however, is not pursued as a separate business, but is advanta- 
geously combined with agriculture. The number of stock in the county, as 
assessed in 1882, is 1849 horses and mules, 6119 cattle, 498 sheep, 246 goats, 
and 6250 hogs. The latter run at large in the forests, and are frequently 
fattened for slaughter on the mast, without the use of corn. Range stock 
require little or no feed in winter, the dense forests serving both to protect 
the grass and shield the stock against the "northers." Work horses are 
worth about $50; mules, $80; and oxen, $50 per yoke. Beef retails at 
from 5 to 7 cents; pork, 5 to 6; bacon, 12 to 15; corn, 50 to 75 cents; 
flour, $S to $10 a barrel. Deer, turkeys, and squirrels, and all the varieties 
of fresh water fish are very plentiful. In some of the streams water power 
of considerable capacity could be obtained, but it has not as yet been utilized. 
The Houston and East and West Texas Railway runs through the south- 
ern part of the county, and the International and Great Northern near to 
and parallel with its western boundary. Along the line of the first named 
road are a large number of saw mills, which are kept constantly employed 
in cutting lumber for shipment from the surrounding forests. Cold Springs, 
the county seat, which takes it name from the numerous unfailing springs 
in and around it, is about 12 miles distant from Shepherd, the nearest rail- 
road station, and has about 250 inhabitants, a substantial court house and 
jail, two commodious churches (Methodist and Baptist), and commands a 
good local trade. Church conveniences are good in nearly every neighbor- 
hood. The State free school fund is apportioned on a basis of a scholastic 
popualtion of 999, for which number public free schools are organized and 
in operation. There is at Cold Springs a chartered high school, which has 
competent teachers, and about 100 students, and there are many other 
private schools in the county. The county has a small floating debt, and 
levies a tax of forty-five cents on the one hundred dollars. 

The county has been long settled, and the population is hospitable, con- 
servative, and law-abiding. On or near the bottoms of the river and larger 
.creeks, chills and fever prevail occasionally in summer, but the complete 
drainage and pure water render the county generally, and especially in tht 
pine forest region, very healthy. 



278 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



SAN PATRICIO COUNTY 

Lies near the gulf coast, in north latitude 28 deg., and west longitude 97 
deg. 30 min. ; is bounded on the south and west by Corpus Christi and 
Nueces bays and the Nueces river, and on the north by the Aransas river. 
Area, 728 square miles. 

Population in 1 870 602 

Population in 1880 (74 colored) 1,010 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 No Returns 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 934,400 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S82 1,321,720 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 672,951 

The general surface is a nearly dead level gulf plain, dotted at intervals 
with a scattered and scrubby growth of live oak and mesquite. Near the 
centre it is more or less rolling and covered thickly with mesquite of large 
size, and the course of the Nueces river, for a distance of about forty miles, 
is marked by a belt of elm, hackberry, ash, cottonwood, and willow, the 
whole area of wooded land comprising about one-half the county. Much 
of the timber is suitable for fencing, the mesquite being much the most 
abundant and valuable. 

The Nueces and Aransas rivers and Chiltepin creek are large, perpetual 
streams, and the first named is navigable for small craft for about twenty 
miles. There are also a number of smaller streams, which cease to run in 
dry seasons, but rarely, if ever, go dry. Water for domestic purposes is 
obtained mainly from wells, which are obtained at a very shallow depth in 
all parts of the county, though cisterns are much used. 

It is estimated that not exceeding one-fiftieth part of the county is in cul- 
tivation, agriculture having received little attention until within the last 
few years. The soil is divided between a rich, dark, clayey loam and a 
heavy, stiff, black land, and both are fairly productive of such crops as are 
suited to the locality. A few small farms have been enclosed, and the 
yield of cotton, corn, melons, potatoes, and vegetables has proved very sat- 
isfactory, as much as three-fourths of a bale of cotton per acre having, in 
some instances, been realized. Very little attention has as yet been paid to 
fruit culture, but peaches, grapes, and plums do well. Blackberries and 
dewberries grow in great profusion. The mean annual rainfall is about 38 
inches, but is not generally well distributed throughout the year, and crops 
maturing in midsummer frequently suffer from drouth. Fencing, made ot 
timber from the land enclosed, costs about $150 to $200 a mile. Hedges 
are grown to a very limited extent. Pine lumber is worth about $40 per 
thousand. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. SAN PATRICIO COUNTY. 279 

A large proportion, perhaps seven-tenths, of the area is enclosed in pas- 
tures, ranging in size from 30,000 to 130,000 acres, in which stock multiply 
and keep fat the year round on the native grasses. Only work animals, 
when in actual use, and those of improved breeds used for stock purposes, 
are fed in the severest winter weather known in that equable climate. The 
number of different kinds of stock in the county, as shown by the assess- 
ment rolls of 1882, is as follows: 3141 horses and mules, 62,107 cattle, 2759 
6heep, 344 goats, and 471 hogs. Owing to the level character of the 
county near the coast, and the consequent imperfect drainage, the county 
is not well adapted to sheepraising, but is unexcelled for cattle and horses. 
Work horses are worth from $30 to $50; mules, $30 to $60; oxen, $40 
to $60 per yoke. All meat supplies are cheap at retail in the local markets, 
and corn varies in price from $1 to $1.25 a bushel; flour, $10.50 to $12 
per barrel. All kinds of domestic fowls are cheaply raised, and deer, wild 
turkeys, ducks, quail, and other varieties of game, as well as oysters and 
salt and fresh-water fish, are very abundant. In the lagoons, between 
Corpus Chnsti and Aransas bays, large quantities of salt, of a very superior 
quality, is formed by natural evaporation. 

The trade of the county flows principally to Galveston, by light draft 
sailing vessels direct, and by way of the port of Corpus Christi, thence by 
sail or steam. 

San Patricio, the county seat, has a population of about 500, and an an- 
nual trade of about $50,000. Sharpsburg is a small village, in a thickly 
settled neighborhood, of about 250 inhabitants. The municipal authorities 
of the town of San Patricio have assumed control of its public free schools, 
in which there are 66 children within the scholastic age enrolled for the 
year 1882-83. Outside of the town, free schools are provided for a scho 
lastic population of 99. The average school terra is about four months. 
The Roman Catholic, Methodist, and Baptist denominations have church 
organizations and good houses of worship. 

The county levies a tax of one-fourth of one per cent, and has little or no 
floating debt, but has a small bonded debt, the validity of which is being 
contested in the courts. The climate is mild and salubrious. The summer 
heat is tempered by the prevailing gulf breeze, and winter cold is always 
limited to a few days duration. Except on the streams, where occasional 
chills and lewj. uccur 10 summer, the count) i& veij uu-ithy, 



280 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



SAN SABA COUNTY 

Is in north latitude 31 deg. 15 min., and east longitude 98 deg. 45 min., 
and San Saba, the county seat, is about ninety miles northwest of the city 
of Austin. Area, 1131 square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,425 

Population in 1880 (3 per cent colored) 5,324 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $420,506 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,179,944 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,630,253 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 370,281 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 633,995 

The face of the county is diversified by hills, valleys, and plains, the val- 
leys being generally broad, and often level, and the hills, for the most part, 
lofty, irregular, and rugged. The general altitude increases from east to 
west, and in the southern part there are a number of peaks rising abruptly 
from the level plains to an elevation of several hundred feet. The timbered 
uplands are more or less undulating, and marked by narrow valleys along 
the streams. The bottoms and level uplands are more or less densely cov- 
ered with mesquite, post oak, cedar, elm, live oak, wild china, and hackberry, 
about nine-tenths of the area being timbered. In the valleys bordering on 
streams the pecan and cottonwood attain a large size, but most of the tim 
ber is scrubby and suitable chiefly for fuel and fencing. 

The Colorado river washes the northern and eastern borders of the county 
for a distance, by the course of the stream, of about 100 miles, and the 
San Saba river flows nearly centrally through it from southwest to north- 
east. Both of these streams are bold and unfailing, and tributary to them 
are a large number of constantly running streams, some of which are used 
for purposes of irrigation, and as motive power for mills and gins. Bold 
springs are found everywhere, and within the limits of the town of San 
Saba is a spring, which, a short distance from it source, furnishes motive 
power for a flouring mill, grist mill, saw mill, and cotton gin, and its wa- 
ters are also utilized to irrigate a field of about fifty acres. 

The valley lands of the Colorado and San Saba rivers and their tributa- 
ries, ranging from a half a mile to three miles in width, are most esteemed 
for farms. The soil of the Colorado bottom is a mellow, friable red loam, 
and that of the valley of the San Saba and its tributaries a rich, deep, dark 
alluvial soil, with less admixture of sand than the former. On the uplands 
the soil is in some places barely sufficient to cover the rocks; in others, no- 
tably on the post oak uplands, it is a deep gray loam easily tilled, free, and 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — SAN SABA COUNTY. 281 

fairly productive, the farming lands altogether embracing about one-half of 
the area. Improved agricultural implements are used to a considerable 
extent, and the yield of corn, cotton, wheat, oats, rye, barley, sorghum, 
potatoes, melons, onions, and millet is fully up to the average production of 
the State. The mean annual rainfall is about 30 inches, but is not, as a 
rule, so distributed as to be propitious for midsummer crops, and irrigation, 
facilities for which are abundant and convenient, is much employed. 
Vegetables, especially, are not successfully grown without irrigation, but 
where it is used the yield is very large. Peaches and plums do well, 
and wild plums, grapes, and the argarite, or Texas currant, grow in pro- 
fusion. The pecan nut crop is heavy about every alternate year, and the 
nuts are of fine size and quality. 

Grazing lands are held at from 50 cents to $2 per acre, those suitable 
for farms at from $3 to $5, improved tracts at from $10 to $20, and cul- 
tivated land rents for from $3 to $5 an acre. 

The native grasses cover nearly the entire area not enclosed for farms, 
the curly mesquite being the richest and most abundant variety. As a rule, 
range stock are never fed, but keep in good condition the year round on 
the open range, or in large enclosed pastures. The assessment rolls for 
1882 credit the county with 40,849 cattle, 6724 horses and mules, 39,245 
sheep, 543 goats, and S435 hogs. Sheep usually live on the range, but in 
severe winters thrive better if given more or less hay or cotton seed. They 
are very healthy, and the weight of annual fleece is about six pounds. 
Much attention is paid to improving the breeds of stock, and Angora goats 
have been successfully introduced. All kinds of work animals and domes- 
tic food supplies are cheap. Fowls are raised in large numbers, and a few 
deer, turkeys, and large numbers of partridges and squirrels are found in 
many portions of the county, and several kinds of small fish are abundant. 

Lignite coal of inferior quality, iron, copper, silver, lead, and manganese 
exist, and traces of gold have been discovered, but neither of the five last 
named metals has as yet been found in paying quantities. In the southern 
part are large beds of iron ore of excellent quality, and extensive forma- 
tions of building stone, and of several rare and beautiful varieties of marble, 
are found in several portions of the county. Of specimens of marble con- 
tributed to the collection gathered by the agent of the United States Census 
Bureau, the agent in charge says: ""We consider them very beautiful, and 
have dressed them with much care. They are mineralogically interesting, 
and different from any other marble in our collection." 

Water power of large capacity is supplied by the Colorado and San Saba 
rivers, and by more than 20 large springs. The Austin and Northwestern 
Railway, completed to Burnet, about 40 miles distant from the county seat, 
is projected to pass through the county, and the Gulf, Colorado and Santa 
Fe Railway is completed to Lampasas, about 32 miles distant from the 
Bame point. There are. in the county, five flouring mills, a woolen mill, a 



282 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



chair factory, ten blacksmith shops, three saw mills, and a large number of 
cotton gins and grist mills. 

The average daily attendance in the public free schools is about 70 per 
cent of a scholastic population of 844. The Methodist conference has fixed 
upon San Saba as the seat of a college, and the initial steps have been taken 
to erect suitable buildings and organize the institution. San Saba has a 
population of about 750, a telegraph office, a large stone court house, a 
number of substantial business houses, and a considerable local trade. The 
Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Christian denomina- 
tions have church organizations, and there are two good church buildings 
in San Saba, and a number in other parts of the county. The county has 
a small floating debt, and levies a tax of fifty cents on the one hundred 
dollars. 

There is much intelligence and refinement among the population, and so- 
ciety has already assumed a stable and conservative tone. The general ele- 
vation, which is about 1200 feet above the sea level, the purity and dry. 
ncss of the atmosphere, and the prevailing south breeze combine to make 
the CJUiity very healthy. 



SHACKELFORD COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 42 deg. 40 min., and west longitude 99 deg. 20 
minutes, and Albany, the county seat, is the present terminus of the "Waco 
and Northwestern division of the Houston and Texas Central Railway, and 
is 374 miles northwest of the city of Houston. Organized in 1874. Area, 
900 square miles. 

Population in 1860 44 

Population in 1 870 , 455 

Population in 1880 (12£ per cent colored) .-. 2,037 

No assessment for 1870. 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1SS1 $755,263 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,037,300 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 294,729 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 387,610 

The above statistics are official, but repeated applications, made from 
time to time in the course of the past twelve months, to the judge and 
county commissioners and two other officials, and also to several private 
citizens, accompanied by blank statistical forms, have met with no response, 
and it is therefore impossible to give any authoritative statement as to the 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. SHACKELFOKD COUNTY. Zoo 

general features of the county, its soil, timber, and other resources. The 
following account, however, based upon what is believed to be trustworthy 
information, may be taken as in the main correct. 

The Clear Fork of the Brazos river runs across the northwestern corner 
of the county, deflects north into the adjoining county, and flows south 
again across the northwestern corner. Hubbard creek, with its west, south, 
and north forks, Asylum, Fruit, Foyle's, and Jennie creeks, and other con- 
stantly running streams, distribute an ample supply of water to all parts of 
the county. This is declared to be one of the best watered counties lying 
on the headwaters of the Brazos. Along all the streams are valleys from 
a half mile to two or more miles in width, and between the streams, in some 
places, are hills of considerable elevation; in others, extended areas of table- 
lands. Along the streams is a growth of timber, consisting of scrubby 
Kve oak, cottonwood, water oak, elm, hackberry, mesquite, and pecan, and 
there are occasionally limited tracts of post oak uplands, the whole timbered 
land comprising between one-fourth and one-half of the county. The soil 
on the Brazos river is rich, red alluvium, containing a considerable sedi- 
mentary deposit of gypsum; that on the creeks a light alluvium, and that 
on the uplands a reddish-colored sandy land. The yield of farm products 
and vegetables is, with favorable seasons, equal to that of any county in 
this portion of the State. The mean annual rainfall, as registered at the 
United States Signal Service station at Fort Griffin, in the county, for 
the years 1878, 1879, 1880, 1881, was 29.77, 18.93, 28.71, and 20.86 inches, 
respectively, and was heaviest in the months of May, June, July, Septem- 
ber, October, and November in each of the years. 

A large part of the county is covered with rich grasses, on which stock 
subsist the year round, neither requiring nor receiving other feed, and 
stockraising is an important industry. The assessment rolls of 1882 show, 
in the county, 5243 horses and mules, 25,886 cattle, 18,989 sheep, and 662 
goats. Work animals, and all farm and domestic food supplies, can be 
bought at reasonable prices. 

The scholastic enumeration shows a population of 276 children between 
the ages of 8 and 14, and the State school fund for that number was appor- 
tioned for the present scholastic year. 

The county is rapidly increasing in population and wealth, and the citizens 
are, in the main, enterprising, intelligent immigrants from the older States- 
The general elevation, thorough drainage, pure water, and dry atuiospherer 
render the county very healthy. 



284 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OP 



SHELBY COUNTY 

Lies on the Sabine river, the east boundary line of the State, in latitude 
31 deg. 50 min. Area, 80*2 square miles. 

Population in 1870 5,732 

Population in 1880 (23 per cent colored) 9,523 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $484,357 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 852,186 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 181,154 

The surface of the northern and eastern portions of the county is an un- 
dulating, wooded plain, with low ridges at intervals, and traversed by many 
swift, limpid streams, while the west and southwest parts are marked by high 
sand hills, with deep, narrow hollows between. The forest growth on the 
north and east consists principally of red and white oak, hickory, and short- 
leaf pine; along the Sabine river is a narrow belt of long-leaf pine; and 
on the sand hills, both long and short-leaf pine, the several kinds of oak, 
gum, and many other varieties of timber. There were standing in the 
county in 1880, as estimated by the United States Census Forestry Bureau, 
of merchantable short-leaf pine, 1,884,800,000 feet, board measure, and of 
long-leaf pine, 425,600,000 feet. Along the Sabine river and the larger 
creeks is a heavy growth of cypress, overcup oak, pin oak, white oak, wal- 
nut, ash, and gum, most of which is large and valuable for building and 
manufacturing purposes. 

A number of the streams afford water-power of limited capacity, that 
was at one time utilized to a considerable extent, but, owing to the abund- 
ance and convenience of fuel, it has, in recent years, been, in a great 
measure, supplanted by steam. The Sabine river is navigable for a portion 
of the year for light-draft steamboats, by which the produce of the county 
is transported to market. 

Altoyac bayou bounds the county on the west, Teneha and Flat Fork 
run through it nearly centrally from west to east, and Patroon creek waters 
the southern part; all large streams emptying into the Sabine river. There 
are, in addition to these, Plum, Iron Ore, and many other smaller creeks. 
Springs are numerous, and wells can be easily procured in all parts of the 
county, and the water is almost invariably pure freestone. 

In the west and southwest parts of the county the area of land suitable 
for farms is very limited, only the narrow valleys being used for that pur- 
pose. In the northern and eastern parts the soil is divided between the 
gray sandy uplands and the dark alluvial of the wide river and creek bot- 
toms, both of which are highly productive, especially the latter. Ordinary 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. SHELBY COUNTY. 285 

farming implements are mainly used; and with the usual seasons, one yeai 
with another, cotton yields, per acre, from 600 to 1200 pounds; corn, 20 to 
25 bushels; oats, 25 to 30; sweet potatoes, 150 to 250; Irish potatoes, 80 to 
100; sugar cane, 400 gallons molasses; sorghum syrup, 300 gallons; and 
vegetables and melons yield in like proportion. Tobacco has proved highly 
successful, though none is grown except for home use. Peaches, apples, 
and plums are successfully grown, the first and last named in large 
quantities. 

The entire area was originally a forest, and unimproved land suitable for 
farms is worth from $1 to $3, small improved places from $3 to $10 an 
acre, and cultivated land rents for from $2 to $4 an acre. Ordinary rail 
fencing costs about $100 a mile. Pine lumber is worth from $10 to $12 
per 1000 feet, at the mills. 

The county is not well adapted to stock raising, the native grasses afford- 
ing good summer but inferior winter pasturage. All animals do well on 
the open range for eight months of the year, and nearly every farmer raises 
enough for his own use and some for market, but there are no large herds. 
The number of stock, as shown by the assessment rolls for 1881, are 2799 
horses and mules, 11,703 cattle, 2779 sheep, 296 goats, and 23,315 hogs. 
No returns received for 1882. Raising hogs is very profitable, as they run 
without restraint in the forests, and fatten on the abundant and never-fail- 
ing mast, in many seasons receiving only sufficient corn to keep them 
gentle. Work horses are worth from $40 to $70; mules, $100; oxen, $50 
per yoke; beef retails at from 5 to 8 cents per pound; mutton, 6 to 9; pork 
5 to 6; corn, 50 cents to $1 per bushel; flour, $9 to $10 a barrel. There 
are some deer and turkeys, and fresh-water fish are abundant. There are 
a number of grist mills and cotton gins, and a few saw mills, run by 
steam power, in the county. Center, the county seat, has about 1000 inhab- 
itants; Shelbyville, 400; Buena Vista, 150; Hamilton, 200; and there are a 
number of other small trading points. 

The Sabine Pass and Texas Northern Railroad, now in course of con- 
struction, is projected to pass nearly centrally through the county from 
north to south, and it is confidently believed that the timber and other re- 
sources of the county will be offered the facilities of railway transportation 
within the year 1883. 

The scholastic population is 1915, and free schools are in operation in all 
parts of the county, the term being generally about four months, after which 
time they are continued as private schools. In Center good private schools 
are taught ten months in the year. The Baptist, Methodist, Christian, and 
Presbyterian denominations have churches in the county, and there is a 
church of one or the other denomination in nearly every neighborhood. 
The prohibition of the sale of spirituous liquors has been adopted in four 
out of the seven precincts of the county, under the local option act, and is 
strictly enforced. The county levies a tax of 60 cents on the $100, and has 
no debt. 



286 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



. 



The population is peaceable and law-abiding, and the laws are vigorously 
enforced. In and on the borders of the river and creek bottoms, malarial 
sickness is more or less prevalent in summer, but the complete drainage and 
the pure water, and the salubrious atmosphere of the pine forests render 
the general health very good. 



SMITH COUNTY 

Is in Eastern Texas, in latitude 32 deg. '20 min., and longitude 95 (leg. 
10 min., and Tyler, the county seat, is 215 miles north of the city of Hous- 
ton, by the line of the International and Great Northern Railway. Area, 
957 square miles. 

Population in 1870 16,532 

Population in 1880 (47 per cent colored) 21,863 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,893,076 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 3,460,744 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 3,523,290 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 320,110 

The general surface presents a succession of hills of gentle declivity, 
sloping into valleys, generally narrow, but often extended and undulating, 
and watered by numerous streams at somewhat regular intervals. The 
uplands are thickly studded with pine, post oak, red oak, hickory and 
blackjack, and the bottoms with pin oak, water oak, walnut, sweet and 
black gum, and many other kinds of forest growth. The amount of mer- 
chantable short-leaf pine (pinus mitis) standing in the county in 1880, as 
estimated by the United States Census Forestry Bureau, was 2,035,200,000 
feet, board measure. A large proportion of the timber is tall and of large 
size, and valuable for building and all mechanical purposes, and for the 
manufacture of lumber. 

The Sabine river forms the northern and the Neches river the western 
boundary, and, with their numerous tributaries, many of which are bold, 
unfailing streams, distribute an unusually abundant and convenient water 
supply to all parts of the county. Wells of pure freestone water are easily 
obtained, and springs of the same are numerous. The soils are divided into 
three classes, the alluvial of the bottoms, the gray sandy on a red clay 
foundation, and the red lands. The bottom lands are well adapted to corn, 
cotton, and sugar cane, the gray is most esteemed for cotton, while the red 
lands are suited to, and yield equally well, cotton and grain, as well as veg- 
etables and fruits. The county is especially noted for the great abundance 






TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — SMITH COUNTY. 287 

and quality of its fruit, and peaches, apples, plums, and pears are raised in 
large quantities. Grapes of the choicest varieties are easily grown, and the 
yield is very large where proper cultivation is bestowed. Improved farm- 
ing implements are being introduced to some extent. Each of the soils 
named is mellow, friable, and easily tilled, and the yield of corn, cotton, 
wheat, oats, rye, barley, molasses, Irish and sweet potatoes, millet, and all 
kinds of vegetables is generally good, the county being characterized rather 
by a uniformity of fair crops than by occasional extraordinary yields. Un- 
improved lands suitable for farms are worth from $2 to $5, and lands with 
a part in cultivation and with some improvements, from $3 to $10 per acre, 
and the usual rental of the latter is from $2 to $4 per cultivated acre, or 
one-third the grain and one-fourth of the cotton. 

The sedge is the chief variety of grass and affords fine summer range, but 
is insufficient to sustain stock in winter, and stockraising is not a separate 
pursuit, but is almost always combined with agriculture. The common 
breeds are most generally raised, but improved stock is being successfully 
introduced. The assessment rolls of 1882 show the number of stock in the 
county to be as follows: 4232 horses and mules, 16,090 cattle, 1547 sheep, 
290 goats, and 19,381 hogs. The latter are raised with little trouble or ex- 
pense, as ordinarily they run at large in the forests, and are frequently fat- 
tened for pork altogether on the mast. Sheep are fed on cotton seed more 
or less in the winter, and have the run of the fields, as do all other stock, 
after the crops are gathered. Work horses are worth from $40 to $60; 
mules, $60 to $100; oxen, $60 per yoke; beef retails at from 4 to 6 cents; 
mutton, 5 to 7; pork, 4 to 6; bacon, 12 to 14; corn, 50 to 75 cents per 
bushel; flour, $7 to $10 per barrel. Game is moderately abundant in and 
near the river bottoms, and small fish are in plentiful supply in the larger 
streams. 

Valuable iron ore is believed to exist in paying quantities, but no mining 
has as yet been done. The water power of some of the streams is utilized to 
a limited extent in running grist mills and cotton gins. There is a wagon 
factory at Tyler, and a number of steam saw, grist, and flour mills in vari- 
ous parts of the county. 

The International and Great Northern Railway runs across the southeast 
corner, and a branch road from Troupe to Mineola nearly centrally through 
the county from southeast to northwest. The Texas and St. Louis Railway 
runs from northeast to southwest through the county, intersecting the first 
named road at Tyler. The Kansas and Gulf Short Line is in course of con- 
struction from Tyler southeast, and it is contemplated to extend it, without 
delay, to tide- water at the port of Sabine Pass. 

Tyler is a place of about 4000 to 5000 inhabitants; has ample banking 
facilities; many handsome business houses; ships a considerable amount of 
cotton and other products, and does a large general merchandise trade. It 
has lone; been noted for the intelligence and social culture of its citizens. 



288 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

It is the seat of the East Texas University, a school of high standing, un- 
der the management of an able faculty. The university building is a com- 
modious brick structure, of tasteful architectural design. Troupe, in the 
southeast part of the county, is the point of divergence of the Mineola 
branch of the International and Great Northern Railway, and is a prosper- 
ous town. Lindale, Winona, Starville, and Garden Valley are small local 
trading points. 

The scholastic population, outside the limits of Tyler, is 3635, for which 
public free schools are provided; and 496 pupils attend the city free schools, 
which are under the control of the municipal authorities, and supported in 
part by a special city tax. The average daily attendance is about 75 per 
cent of the enrollment. The Baptist, Methodist, Christian, and Presbyterian 
denominations are numerically the strongest, and there are ample church 
conveniences in Tyler and also in other parts of the county. 

The county has a railroad subsidy debt of $160,000, which is being stead- 
ily reduced. The county tax, general and special, is $1.10 on the $100. 

The standard of health is high, and will compare favorably with any por- 
tion of the State. 



SOMERVELL COUNTY 






Is in latitude 32 deg. 20 min., and longitude 97 deg. 40 min., and Glen 
Rose, the county seat, is about 20 miles northwest of Morgan, the point of 
junction of the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway and the Waco and 
Northwestern division of the Houston and Texas Central Railway. Formed, 
in 1875, of a part of Hood county. Area, 199 square miles. 

Population in 1S80 (1 per cent colored) 2,649 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $337,349 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 357,567 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 90,278 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 101,610 

The face of the county is broken, and prosents a succession of ranges of 
rocky hills, of moderate elevation, and level, extended valleys. The Brazos 
river flows from north to south through the eastern part of the county, and 
its course is marked by a growth of pecan, walnut, ash, hackberry, burr 
oak, and cottonwood, which is also found along the Paluxey, Squaw, 
George's, and other creeks which flow through the different parts of the 
county. There are many good springs, and a number of artesian wells, 
with a large and steady flow, have been obtained at a depth ranging from 



Tl'.XA- r,V COUNTIES.— STARR COUNTY. 289 

260 feet. Springs of Iphur wate 

cinal virtues of great val of the county. 

and al sides of the hi 

oak. 1 and mountain 

mt for all on 

Owing to the I 
Df river b >ttom hind:-, tJ 

gray alluvium. Tb ' d on 

the upland id. Al! I 

to a, variety of ci 
seasoi 

taking the fan rably 

with the betl 
land, suitable l'< u farms, is v 

rolls of 1882 credit the 

270 si 124 hogs. 

to keep stock in g 

winter we Teed is m 

In the absence of official dal ns for which ! 

made to the county judge and com rs, and also to two > 

officers, and several well informed citizens of the county, a det ai 

ources, its financial and educational status, and church con- 
veniences cannot be given. Its general elevation, good drain 
lance of pure wate • give assurance of good health. 



STARR COUNTY 

Lies on the Rio Grande, about 180 miles above its mouth, in north lati- 
tude 2 and west longitude 98 deg. 30 min. Area, 2544 square miles. 

Popn 1 870 4,154 

[2\ per cent colored; 75 per cent Mexican) . . 

of taxable property : 

1.1! 

I - 1,672,814 

ed value of li \ 

. alue of live stock in 1882 608,50$ 

19 



2 ( J0 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

The portion of the county bordering on the Rio Grande is a low and 
nearly level plain, which rises gradually to a range of low hills, whence the 
surface descends by gentle declivity into an extended basin in the center, 
and again rises into more elevated sand hills to the northward. About 
one-half the area is covered with scattered chaparals of small mesquite 
trees, and about one hundred miles square in the northeastern part, more or 
less densely with live oak. In the valley of the Rio Grande, above the town 
of Roma, is an orchard or grove of large mesquite timber, believed to be much 
the largest in the southwestern part of the State; and there are skirts of 
timber at intervals along that stream, composed of huisachi. mesquite, hgnum 
vitce, Brazil wood, ebony, willow, ash, live oak, and hackberry. Many of 
the mesquite and ebony trees are of large size, measuring in some instances 
as much as one or iw . feet in diameter. The unodegato or 'cat's claw, so 
called from its thorns, is found in many portions, on in ferior as well as the most 
fertile lands, and is esteemed very valuable as a hedge plant. The huisachi, 
deemed by some the acacia of America, and the guayacan, or the "soap- 
tree," are also found in the county in considerable quantities. The former 
exudes a gum similar in its properties to the gum arabic of commerce, and 
the bark of the root of the latter possesses great saponaceous and cleansing 
qualities, and is much used in washing broadcloths and other « ■ .ds, 

from which it removes grease, dirt, and stain without shrinkage or injury 

to the fabrics. . , n . 

The Rio Grande is the only running stream, and >t ib navigable to. 
steamboats, at all seasons, to Rio Grande City, the count, seat, lto"** 
supply for domestic use is obtained from wells and artificial ponds or tanks. 
In many places on the sandy plains pure, palatable water can be reached a 
few feet below the surface. The "sands," which compr.se , large district 
in the county, although in popular estimation a desert, produce live oak 
groves, and grass is found on them when hi other sect.ons u has been 
destroyed by drouth, thus indicating the existence of »»»™ ™'«» re £ 
no areat depth. Agricultn- is confined to the irrigable valleys of the Rio 
Grande which, under a proper system of irrigation, are highly productive 
Tl e"od is a rich, mellow, red loam, easy of tillage, and producing two 
c r PS orn a year, each averaging about 35 bushels to the acre. Me.on 
Indians are a,so raised in great abundance. There are ten growing ^months 
of the twelve and roasting ears are often marketed from May to Kbrua.y. 
The I > ability of the soil to the growth of fruit has not been thorough^ 
determined by practical tests, but it is believed it is especially suited to the 
! p ele <i g , the orange, and many other semi tropical frmts The lands 
fn lm lleyof the Rio Grande that are susceptible of irngatmn are est - 
,1 ,900 000 acres Improved agricultural implements are not used, 
Til ft. n, being do with those of tlm rudest and most primitive descnp- 
i Ton Jufy 1, 1880, to July 1, 188., not believed to be an excep- 
'.„ al yelr, the "a,: fall in mches, by months, was as follows: July, 0.96, 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — ST! PHENS COUNTY. 2\)l 

August, 9.13; September, 2.05; October, 1.10; November, 1.15; December, 
January, 1881,3.48; February, 1.06; March, 0.07; April, 2.12; May, 
June, 0.00. Total for the year, 23.68 inches. Grazing land, owned 
by individuals, can be bought at from 25 to 30 cents per acre; not enough 
cultivated land lias been sold to fix a quotable market value, ami there is lit- 
tle or none for sale or rent. There are in the county 290 sections (is."), GOO 
acres) of State school lands, which ran be bought at a minimum price of 
$1 to $2 per acre, in 20 annual installments, with 8 per cent interest. 

Stock-raising is the almost exclusive pursuit of the inhabitants. A large 
part of the county is covered with an unusual variety of rich and nutritious 
grasses, and stuck require no other feed than that furnished by th~ native 
pastures. There are in the county, according to the assessment rolls of 1882, 
26,597 horses and mules, 21,389 cattle, 116,492 sheep, and 39,592 goats. 
Accurate assessment of so large and sparsely populated a county being ex- 
tremely difficult, it is believed the actual number of stock is far in excess of 
these figures. Horses are worth from $20 to $30; mules, $30 to $40; oxen 
S30 to $40 per yoke; beef, G cents per pound; mutton, 4; pork, 12; bacon, 
18 to 25; and corn, in the valley of the Rio Grande, 50 to 75 cents a bushel. 
Domestic fowls are raised in large numbers, with but little trouble or ex- 
pense, and game and fish are in moderate supply. Rio Grande City, the 
county seat, situated on the Rio Grande, has a population of 2109 and a 

. trade with the surrounding country and with Mexico; and Roma, 
about 30 miles above, on the same stream, has 829 inhabitants. The scho- 
lastic population is 1510, but the free school system is not thoroughly 
organized, about three-fourthe of the population being Mexicans, who arc, 
as a rule, indifferent to education. A majority of the inhabitants are Ro- 
man Catholics, and there is a church of that denomination at Roma and one 
at Rio Grande City; also a Methodist church at the latter place. The 
county levies a tax of 40 cents on the $100, and has a small lloating debt. 
The population is peacable and law-abiding. The summer heat is usually 
tempered by a cool breeze, and cold is rarely extreme. The county is very 
healthy. 



STEPHENS COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 32 deg. 40 min., and west longitude 98 deg. 50 
min., and Breckenridge, the county seat, is about 95 miles west of the city 
of Fort Worth, and about 30 miles east of Albany, the present terminus of 
the Northwest division of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad, and 
the same distance north of Cisco, the junction of that line and the Texas 
and Pacific. Area, 900 square miles. 

Population in 1 870 330 

Population in 1880 (25 colored) 4,725 



292 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 f 082 644 

Assessed value of taxable property in L881 11G6G76 

Assessed value of taxable property in 188'J ' •HO 776 

Assessed value of live stuck in 1881 ' 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 

The face of th. lountains and valleys, and ne: 

level table L-nda The extren ^ ern part is broken 1 
deep, rocky ravines, and between the hills are fertile v; ' ™ 

a half a utile to a mile in width. The upper valley of Big Caddo creeK : is 
from three to four .rules wide, and the valleys of Gunsolus and Hubbard s 
creeks, and the Clear Fork of the Brazos river merge in the northern 
of the county and form an extended level plain. Between the valley 
bord reams and table lands is a range of rocky bluffs inter- 

.1 by narrow valleys running at right angle with the streams, and occa- 
sionally so dividing the bluffs as form detached hills. 

11 scrubbj • post oak, cottonwood, water oak. elm, nackberry, 

mesquite. and pecan (I >wing principally on the streams) cover 

ab. , ample supply of wood tor luel, 

bat little suit !S - The Clear Sor.cottne 

Brazos flows along the r of the county, in an . 

course, and is a swift, perpetual stream, fed by S] 
■ Hubbard and Palo PinW, the two Cedars, Big and Little 
solus creeks supply al ■ the county with water for 

dry seasons all of the last mentioned streams ceases to run, but most, 
hold water in pools in their beds. There are some springs, ana weds ol 
cedent water are obtained at d. 5 from 15 to GO feet. _ 

The larger part of the count. ble for cultivation, and it is esama-ed 

that there are in the county 800 farms, averaging 40 acres each, lie soil 
is divided between a rich, red alluvium, with a large admixture of gyp- 
sum on the Clear Fork of the Brazos, a gray sandy on a clay subsoil on the 
creeks, and a reddish sandy on the uplands, with a considerable area of 
black waxy land of great fertility at the head of Caddo creek. Cotton, 
corn, wheat, rye, oats, barley, sorghum, millet, and vegetables are all raised, 
and the yield, one year with another, is equal to that of other portions of the 
Rtate The cotton crop of the county increased from 200 bales m 1879 to 
six times that number in 1880. Improved implements of agriculture are 
bein , ra pidly introduced. The mean annual rainfall is about 21 inches, 
OTd i usually most abundant in fall, winter and early spring late sum- 
ircropsb( retimes injured by drouth Fruit cuture has not re- 

ceived much attentioi but so far as tested, peaches have proved sue- 

C e S sful and it is believed t kinds of fruit can be profitably grown. 

S held at from $2 to $3, and im- 

prove i tract, at from S4 to $6, and in some instances higher rates. Culu- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — STEPHENS COUNTY. 2U3 

land rents for aboul s;: per acre. The 0,i 00 acres of 

in tli-' county, which are held al a minimum price of $1 
re, payable in twenty annual installments, with 8 per cent in- 
Rock fencii 300 a mile. 
■ lumber is w 
NVa .,1 with a thick growth of mesquite 
nui ritious of all i d on it the 
in summer and fall and keep in good con- 
i all winter. Wild i ing in early spring. 

i,t the stork in- 
11 very important. The rolls of 11 ; t the 

jount] 27,524 c 

md i ,» in win!: 

ad in man sons 

on the oak and pecan ma 10 to 

10 to §90; oxen $40 to {$ ', at retail 

to 5 cents; mutton, 5 to G; pork. 5 to 6; bacon, 12 to 15; corn 75 cents to 
$1 a I mndred pounds. D sed in 

by nearly every family. There are a few deer, tui 
quail, and squirrels, and catfish and buffalo are abundi 
streams. 
Two companies have sunk shafts sufficiently far to demonstrate that bitu- 
ial of good quality exists in paying quantities. La -its of 

ron ore exist, and near the north boundary of the county consid- 
e quantities of magnetic iron ore. Tn 

: irazos arc- ce indications of pe- 

! -tune of good quality al parts of 

Brazos 
but it has yet 1 to only three luring 

Railway runs throi corner of the 

ridge has about 600 
irinting establishment, and is the center of 
a 

Bi i. Cumberland Presbyterian, Christian, and P\ 

I nd church 

i, are rapidly improving. The State 

apportioned to a population of 752, and the 

; the public free schools cent 

] county le\ ots on t! md has a small floating 

The population is chiefly drawn from ih< • rn States, 

and is le and law-abi on is high, 

ir cold i- ;• duration, an almost constant south 
breeze prevails, and the climi 



294 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OE 



TARRANT COUNTY 

Is in north latitude 32 deg. 40 min., and west longitude 97 deg. 15 min., 
and Port Worth, the county seat, and one of the chief cities of Texas, is 
345 miles northwest of the port of Galveston, by the line of the Gulf, Col- 
orado and Santa Fe Railway. Area, 900 square miles. 

Population in 1870 5,788 

Population in 1880 (8 per cent colored) 24,671 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,392,877 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1 881 5,909.687 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 7,300,086 

Assessed value of live stock in 1 88 1 568,235 

Assessed value of live stock in 1 882 673. 34S 

The West Fork of Trinity river, here about forty yards wide, enters 
the county at the northwest corner, curves southward to the center, a d 
flows out near the middle of the eastern line. Along its course, on either 
side, are high rocky knolls and bluffs, from which there is a gradual ascent 
into a high, rolling, open country. Near the center of the county the Clear 
Fork of the Trinity flows in from the southwest, and about one-half the 
area between the two streams is characterized by a shallow soil resting on 
underlying beds of limestone that crop out in rocky bluffs. Probably one- 
fifth of the entire county is of this inferior quality of land, the remaining 
four-fifths being highly fertile. 

The bottoms bordering the "West Fork of the Trinity are well drained, 
free from marshes, and studded with a heavy growth of timber, consisting 
of oaks of the several kinds, ash, pecan, elm, hackberry, chittimwood, and 
Cottonwood. Running nearly north and south through the eastern edge of 
the county is a belt of woodland, ten to twelve miles wide, known as the 
"lower cross-timbers," and consisting principally of the low, heavy-topped 
post oak, with blackjack and hickory interspersed, two fifths of the entire 
county being timbered. 

Besides the two rivers mentioned, there are numerous streams, the prin- 
cipal of which are Fossil, Big and Little Bear, Sycamore, Village, Henri- 
etta, Mustang, Silver, Ash, and "Walnut creeks, which, with their branches, 
distribute to all parts of the county a very convenient and abundant water 
supply. There are a few springs; wells are obtained at a depth, of from 15 
to 40. feet, and artesian wells, of which there are about sixty in the city of 
Fort Worth, and forty or more in other parts of the county, range in depth 
from 200 to 300 feet, and the flow of some of them is as much as one hun- 
dred barrels per hour. The water of many of these wells is believed to 
possess valuable medicinal properties. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — TARRANT COUNTY. '205 

The soil in tl timber bell is a red sandy; that Me a 

:. waxy lime land; and thai on the west side is divided between a 
k waxy and a light sa land. Along the vail 'rinity and 

other sin ial. North of the Trinity and beyond the 

bottoms t! e soil black, with a considerable admixture of sa 

face of the county is dotted thickly with farms, the highways in 
portions running for miles tl lanes, with cultiva 

hand. The high, rolling prairies bordering the south side of the West 
Fork of the Trinity, the soil of which is a dec]) reddish loam, easily tilled 
and very productive, are almost entirely enclosed in a continuous succession 
of farms. 

Until within recent years cotton was the chief agricultural product, but 
now wheat holds the first place, cotton being next in order of value. The 
soils of the county are admirably adapted to the growth of both, as well as 
of many other products common to the latitude. Improved agricultural 
implements are largely used, and the yield of all field and garden crops is 
equal to that of any portion of Texas. The mean annual rainfall is about 
36 inches, and is usually so distributed throughout the year as to render 
protracted drouths of unusual occurrence. Peaches, apples, and plums 
yield heavily wherever they receive proper culture. Unimproved land, 
suitable for farms, is held at from $3 to $8, and improved tracts at from 
$10 to $20 an acre, and, in some instances, much higher rates are demanded. 
The latter rent for from $3 to $5 an acre, or for one-third the grain and 
one-fourth of the cotton. Bois d'arc hedges are grown to some extent, and 
have proved successful. Fences constructed of post, ten feet apart, two 
wires, and a plank, costs about $225 per mile. Fine lumber is worth, from 
$16 to $20 per thousand. Farm laborers receive from $12 to $20 a month 
and board. 

The rapid development of the agricultural interests of the county and 
the opening of new farms have operated to >a of 

grazing lands, and stockraising, as a distinct pursuit, is rapidly giving way 
to agriculture, though the stock interests of the county a great im- 

portance. Many of the larger herds of cattle ha\ driven further 

west, but much attention is being paid to improved breeds, and the a 
gate value of live stock has not been greatly diminishi 
require more or less feed in severe winter weather, but for the greater part 
of the year keep in good condition on the native grasses. According to the 
assessment rolls for L882, there are in the county 9817 horses and m 
35,885 cattle. 8807 sheep, 1729 goats, and 12,341 hogs. Work animals and 
all kinds of domestic food supplies can b3 bought at reasonable prices. 
Domestic fowls are raised in largo numbers. There are a few deer; small 
game is plentiful, and the ordinary varieties of iter fish are fairly 

abundant in the West Fork of th y and its larger tributaries. 

Fort Worth is one of the most thri -we cities in Texas. 



*Z\)V 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AXD CLIMATE OF 



In 1S76, when the Texas and Pacific Railway, the first road that reached the 
county, was completed to it, its population was about 1500, and its taxable 
values about $300,000. In 1882 it has a population, as shown by an 
enumeration made under the city ies, of 12,000, and taxable values, 

according to the city ,214,024. It lies on the main line 

of the Texas and Pacific Railway, from Sb to El Paso, and of the 

Missouri Pi , :i to Taylor; is the present northern terminus 

of tne Gull ilway, an. I the inilial point of the Fort 

id Derive] now completed and in operation to 

. The Fort Worth and Rio Grande 
npletion to Bre- 
• first day of July, 
le. 

•use and jail, an opera 

in course of construction, twelve spacious and taste- 

. eight hotels, two national 

one or i i line of street rail- 

; 3 the 
comrrn titer of a large and and I here 

ies of merchan 
?, under the contr Lip] a pro 

L'i om a 
: ool tax. 

I 

.1 
nerchant flouring mill 
iron foundry, and, in c ■ 

ler of 
ity with from 100 to 500 inl : each, and usually 

one ; post office. 

' cents on the $100, and has only a small 
75 cents on the $100. The population is 
•bedience to law. The 
m ail cause The general ele\ 

arature rarely rises to 100 dejr., or the 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — TAYLOR COUNTY. 297 



TAYLOR COUNTY 

Is in north latitude 32 deg. 15 min., and west longitude 99 rlog. 15 min., 
Abilene, the chief shipping and tradi of the county, is 161 miles 

of the city of Fort Wo i Texas and Pacific Rail- 

f. Organized in L878. Area. 900 square miles. 

ilation in 1 880 (8 colored) 1,736 

Estin | ulation in 1 882 4,000 

n 1881 70 1,790 

Assessed value of taxal 2 1,33 

202,971 

lains, 
and nume 
of hil Is through the county from southeast to n< 

the wal 5. The gi 

by actua I 1 G3 I feet above I ! 

. and the ; one of the mountain peaks rises Lid •• the 

surround ir 

Tributary to the I . and 

I to the Color;:.' im Ned, \ . and Bluff 

None 
of the year ai. n pools in 

aremany unfailint , and wells 

of from 1 .") to 
i 
i 

■ iuth of varying 

from 12,000 to 2 dies of 

live oak and many ced usually 

lost of the ti m 1 ill, but 

i,t supply for fuel and h esquite 

only valuable for these pur but in 

which is very nut- cattle 

and horse lity. 

North of the dividing ddish 

alluvium, which is equall the State, 

and tl Imixture of calcareous marl, 

South 

with 

with ind table 



298 



[TRCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



matter. The mean annual rainfall for four years, 1S7S to 1881 inclusive, 
was 30^ inches, the heaviest fall in each year being in May, June, July, 
and August, and the lightest in April, October, and November. These fig- 
ures include snow, the fall of which very rarely occurs earlier than De- 
cember 20, or later than February 20. There is always sufficient ram 
for winter crops of grain. Improved farming implements are used to a 
considerable extent, and the usual yield of cotton, corn, wheat, oats, 
sorghum, potatoes, millet and melons is large, and somewhat above the 
eral average of the State. Peaches plums, and grapes have done well so 
far as they have been tested. The pecan trees yield large crops of nuts, 
which are generally more abundant every alternate year. Unimproved 
land, suitable for farms, is worth from $2 to $5 per acre, and improved 
land from $8 to $10 per acre, but there is but little of the latter for sale. 
Fencing, constructed of post and wire, costs about $250 a mile. 

About one-third of the area of the county is adapted to grazing purposes, 
and the native grasses are divided between the curly mesquite and the 
gamma and sedge grasses, the former largely predominating. For about 
six weeks in severe winter weather stock recpiire feeding, but for the most 
part are raised on the open range without other food. Hay cut from the 
prairies is used for winter feed. Sheep are usually healthy, and will, with 
proper care, increase from 60 to 70 per cent per annum. The number of 
stock in the county on January 1, 1882, as shown by the assessment rolls, 
was, of horses and mules, 2294; cattle, 12,834; sheep, 10.943; goats, 3S4; 
hogs, 1070. Work horses are worth from $40 to §50: mules, $80 to §100; 
oxen, $50 per yoke. In the local markets beef retails at from G to S cents 
a pound; mutton, 5 to 7; pork, 5 to 7; bacon, 12 to 15; corn, 75 cents to 
$1 a bushel; and flour, $3 to $4 per 100 pounds. Domestic fowls are 
raised in large numbers. There are a few deer, antelope, turkeys. 
wild ducks, and plover, and the ordinary varieties of fresh-water fish are 
abundant in the larger streams. 

Indications of deposits of iron and coal have been discovered, but no 
effort has been made to determine their extent. The Elm Fork of the 
Brazos ri^er, near the town of Buffalo Gap, the county seat, affords water 
power of large capacity, that could be utilized at a moderate cost. The 
Texas and Pacific Railway runs from east to west through the no- 
part of the county, and has six stations, the most important of which is 
Abilene, a town less than two years old, with a population of about 1500, 
and a large and increasing retail and jobbing trade in all lines of bus 
Buffalo Gap, the county seat, situated about 12 miles south of the railroad 
named, has about 375 inhabitants, and a growing local trade. The scholas- 
tic population is 465, for which free schools are organized. At both Buffalo 
Gap and Abilene there are graded academics, with competent teachers, and 
a large attendance of students. 

Most of the Protestant denominations have church organizations, but as 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES.— TIT ROCK MOUTON COUNTY. 2U'J 

yet church conveniences are not good, thon taken 1" 

to the erection of several churches. The county levies a general and special 
tax of seventy cents on the one hundred dollars, and has a small fio 
debt, and a bonded debt, contracted in the erection of a court house and 
jail, all of which indebtedness is expected to be discharged within the next 
two yi 

The population is generally intelligent and law-abiding. The general 
elevation, good drainage, and constant breezes in summer combine to make 
the count) exceptionally healthy. 



THROCKMORTON COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 33 deg. 10 min., and west longitude 09 deg. 10 
min.. and the county seat, of the same name, is about thirty miles n> 
Albany, the present terminus of the Northwestern division of the lb' 
and Texas Central Railway. Organized in 1ST!). Area, 900 square miles. 

Population in 1 S80 (12 colored) 7.1 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1 s ^' 2 733 

Assessed value of live stuck in 1S8"J 262,272 

The face of the comity is undulating prairie, in some portions broken 
and rocky, and traversed at intervals by broad valleys, with ranges of low 
hills on the larger water-courses. Along the streams is a growth of pecan, 
hackberry, elm, and Cottonwood, and in some of the valleys small mesquite 
trees are very abundant. The Clear Foil: of the lirazos river runs through 
the southwest part of the county, the Salt Fork through the northeast, and 
Plum, or Miller's, creek through the northwest. These streams and their 
tributaries distribute a moderately abundant water supply. There are few 
or no springs, but wells of pure water are easily obtained at almost any de- 
sired point. 

About one-third of the entire area is susceptible of profitable cultivation, 
but only a very small proportion is enclosed in farms, which are confined 
almost exclusively to the valleys, the soil of which is a mellow loam that pro- 
duces a good yield of cotton, corn, oats whj it, rye, sweet potatoes, sorghum, 
and millet. The mean annual rainfall, as registered at the United States Sig- 
nal Service stavion at Fort Griffith, in the adjoining county, is 24.90 in 
and the seasons are irregular, being usually more propitious for small grain 
than for corn and other taturing in summer. For the limited 

in cultivation, improved agricultural implements are used to a considerable 
extent. Peaches and plums have proved successful as far as tried. The 



3UU 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



pecan trees yield an abundant and valuable crop of nuts about every 
alternate year. Wild lands, in the hands of individuals, are held at from 
$1 to $2.50 an acre, improved tracts at about $5 per acre, and land in cub 
tivation usually rents at $2 per acre. Wire fencing costs about $200 a 
mile; Pine lumber is worth $45 per thousand feet. 

• greater part of the county is carpeted with a thick growth of the 
curly and the long mesquite grass, on which stock feed and keep in good 
condition the year round. Stockraising is the engrossing pursuit of the 
inhabitants. The assessment rolls of 1SS2 show, in the county, 1752 horses 
and mules, 17 ; , and 18,390 sheep. The latter are rapidly increas- 

ing, both naturally and by the driving in of new flocks, and it is believed 
the actual number at present in the county largely exceeds the figures above 
given. Work horses are worth about $75; mules, $100; oxen, $50 a yoke. 
All kinds of butcher's meat are sold at retail in the local market at reason- 
able prices; corn ranges from $1 to $1.25 per bushel, and I to $5 per 
100 pounds. All kinds of domestic fowls are easily raised, and game of 
- is abundant. A few of the ordinary varieties of fresh-water 
rger streams, 
shows 65 children within the age, foi 
public fn 3 are organized and in >n. The Methodist, 
an denominatio ship in the 
r vices ar 1 in the school 
>n is rapidly i md an im lent in 

ix of 45 cents on the si 00. and has no debt. The 

almost constant prairie 
longer than a S at a 

- die county i od. 



TITUS COUNTY 

Is i 13 deg. 10 min., and in jitude 95 dcg., and 

indary line o! te by the 

Red River. Mount Pleasant, the miles due n 

port of Galveston, by the line of the Texas and St. Lt . I md its 
. 4 '20 square miles. 

Population in 1S70 11,339 

■'•' 

sed value of taxable property in 1870 ?1, 61 8,442 

sed value of taxable property in 1882 Vr 924,894 

I -due of live stock in 1SS2 110,153 

Hian half the county was taken to form the counl LeB of Mori is and FranHin, in LS75. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — TITUS COUNTY. 301 

■ S.nuh Sulphur Fork of I I r and Big Cypre 

lively the northern an .Of the 

some 
flow ;; ek, runnii : 

northern ; I be remai h, into Big I 

re never : 
and w - the 

an nnfai 
the counl 

. bills, whir arrow 

valleys. iit'iis of the i :overed with a heavy I 

growth ting of white oak, red oak, po in oak. \\ 

hickory, bla . pine, ash, walnut, maple, linn, di 

pecan, hackberry, and many other kinds of trees. The greater part of the 
timber is large, and suitable for farm, building, and manufacturing pur- 
poses. The amount of merchantable short-leaf pine (piaus mitts) standing 
in 18S0, as estimated by the United States Census Forestry Bureau, was 
896,000,000 feet, board measure. Fully three-fourths of the area is suita- 
ble for farms, and the lands most esteemed are those in the valleys border- 
ing the streams, which are a d> alluvium, and a gray or chocolate- 
colored sandy soil on the uplands, both being very productive. .' 
in the pine d are thin and inferior, except in the narrow of the 
streams and in the hammocks, and are valuable chiefly for the timber. 
The rainfall is generally amply sufficient, and the seasons The 
usual is, of cotton, from one-third to three-fourths of a bale; 
of com, 25 to 30 bushels; of wheat, 10 to 12; of oats, 25 to 30; of n 
to 25; of I 5 to 30; of Irish potatoes, 75 to 100; of sweet potatoes, 
150 to 200. Vegetables and melons of all kinds are raised in great abund- 
ance. The soil and climate are especially adapted to the growth of fruit, 
and t' in the county many extensive orchards of the choicest varie- 
ties of peaches, apples, plums, and grapes. Tobacco returns a heavy 
of very fine leaf. Improved implements of husbandry are being introduced 
to some extent, but are not in general use. Wild land, suitable for cultiva- 
tion, ranges- in price from $2 to $5 per acre; improved tracts from 
$10; and the usual rental of land in cultivation is from S3 to $4, or for 
one-third the corn and one-fourth of the cotton raised. Ordinary fencing 

from $100 to SI 50 a mile. But fey hedges are grown. Lumber is 
worth $10 per thousand feet, at the mills. 

re are several kinds of nutritious grass, principally the crab, wire. 
and sedge, and the Bermuda, which has been introduced, is found to be very 
valuable in enclosed pastures. On several of the streams there is a thick 
growth of switch cane, which affords rich winter pasturage. The rai 

ally sufficient to keep stock in good condition for eight or nine months 
in the year, and in severe winters they require and have the run of the 



302 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



small grain pasturage, and more or less feed This is not a stock 
country, but most farmers raise a sufficiency Tor their own use and some for 
the domestic markets. According to the assessment rolls of 1882, there are 
in the county 2094 horses and mules, 540] cattle, 1252 sheep, and G701 
hogs. Hogs are raised in large number?, principally in the forests, in which 
they run at large, and thrive on the abundant mast, on which they are in 
many seasons entirely fattened for pork. Horses, mules, oxen, and all fam- 
ily supplies are always to be obtained at as reasonable prices as in other por- 
tions of the State. Domestic fowls are raised in large numbers. Some 
lew black bear are to be found in the river bottoms, and deer, turkeys, and 
small game are in considerable numbers in all parts of the county. Most 
of the large streams abound in the ordinary kinds of small fresh-water fish. 

Iron ore of good quality is found in the county, and the deposits are be- 
lieved to be extensive, but no mining has as yet been done. There are three 
steam lumber mills, seven grist mills, many cotton gins, and one carding es- 
tablishment. 

The Texas ami St. Louis Railway passes through the county, having six- 
teen and onedialf miles of track and two stations within its limits, and the 
Line and Red River Railway through the southeastern corner, having 
and a half miles. 

Mount Pleasant has about 700 inhabitants and a trade of from $150,000 
2 !O,.O0O per annum; Cookville, about 200 inhabitants and a trade of 
000. 

The daily average attendance in the public free schools is about 70 per 
cent of a scholastic population of 1146. There are also several private 
schools of high grade in the county. The Baptist, Methodist, Christian, and 
Presbyterian denominations have church organizations and houses of wor- 
ship, and attendance on religious services is general. 

The county has a floating debt of about $12,000, and levies a tax of $1.25 
on the $100, whereby the debt is being rapidly discharged. 

The population has generally been drawn from the better elements of the 
older States, and is conservative and law-abiding, and life and property are 
as secure as in any part of the United States. On the river and larger streams 
malarial attacks occasionally occur in summer and fall, but the general 
health is good. The mean temperature in summer is 85 deg., and in winter 
45 deg., Fahrenheit. 



TOM GREEN COUNTY 

Lies in the shape of a pallelogram, between 31 and 32 deg. north latitude, 
and 100 and 104 deg. west longitude, and Carson, the most easterly railway 
station in the county, is 318 miles southwest of the city of Fort Worth, by 
the line of the Texas and Pacific Railway. Organized in 1875. Areai 
12.579 square miles. 



Population in 1SS0 (IS per cen| colored) 3,615 

issed value of taxable property in 1881 $2,355,753 

sed value of live stock in. 1881 835,191 

Nearly the whole area of this county is composed of high, slightly undu- 
_ prairies, and the eastern poition, embracing the entire width and 
extending about fifty miles west, is, for the mosl part, fairly fertile fanning 
The remainder is all well adapted to grazing purposes, being covered 
with a variety of nutritious grasses. In the western and southwestern 
• are a large number of lofty mountain peaks, and also a large area 
I of sand lulls. The western runt northwestern parts form a por- 
tion of the Staked Plains, and posses^ their leading characteristics, namely 
:'.itly undulating surface, of great elevation, sweeping down from the 
north, and ending in rough, rocky cliffs, which overlook the lower plains 
from which it would seem to have been uplifted by some great convulsion 
of nature. Scattered over these plains are found occasional lakes of 
greater or less extent, which hold permanent water. Over a large part of 
the county there is a thick growth of mesquite trees, which are generally 
small and scrubby, and only fit for fuel. 

The Pecos river washes the southwestern portion of the county for its 
entire width, a distance, by the course of the stream, of about 112 miles. 
The Red Fork of the Colorado river flows through the northeastern part, 
Middle Concho, Good Spring Fork, and South Concho unite in the 
western part of the county. These streams, flowing north to a junc- 
tion with the North Concho, which comes in from the northwest, form the 
Concho river, a large, bold, constantly running stream, affording an 
ample water supply for stock, and also for irrigation. The North and South 
Co ichos also afford abundant stock water. There are many fine springs, 
and wells are easily obtained in most parts of the county. Repeated ex- 
periments would seem to have established beyond question that at almost 
any point on the Staked Plains pure water can be obtained by sinking wells 
to a moderate depth. 

The soil in the valleys is a rich alluvium, and that of the prairies a red- 
dish or chocolate-colored loam, from ten to fifteen feet in depth. Irrigable 
unimproved land, suitable for farms, is worth $1.50 per acre, and grazing 
land from 50 cents to $1. Very little farming has been done and there is 
little or no cultivated land for sale, but the price quoted in the returns is 
from $2.50 to $5 per acre. The yield of corn, oats, millet, melons, and veg- 
etables, in favorable seasons or under irrigation, has proved very satisfac- 
tory, and it is believed that the soil is especially adapted to the growth of 
r> -i;' -at. The mean annual rainfall, as registered at the United States Signal 
e station at Concho, in the county, for the four years 1878, 1879, 
1880 1881, was 24.8 1. 18.54, .'J7.75, and 18. 9G inches, respectively, and tht 



304 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



P ri ci] . '. ■, just, and September of 

each year. In lecessary to trming, and the 

means for effecting it are cheap and conveniei of many of 

the e 

Stockraising ' pursuit, and is i I in a 

well o] ysten r. The stuck interests are larj 

ing. Accurate assessment of stock in so large an J 
sparse! : difficult, if not wholly impracticable, and it is 

e ccess of that shown by the ( 
' s (18S1), viz.. • mules, 81,621 cattle, 82,711 sheep, 

21G1 goats, and bogs. The returns received from the county esti- 

number of cattle in 1882 as high as three and a half times 
figures, and of sheep at largely more than the assessed number. Stock of 
fill kinds are raised in the open range, receiving no attention other than the 
indispensable precaution of marking and branding. The county is specially 
adapted to sheep raising, as they are generally exempt from disease, require 
no winter feed, increase rapidly, and return a large yield of wool. Work 
horses are worth about -$40; mules. $60; oxen, £40 to $50 per yoke. All 
kinds of butcher's meat is very chea I corn varies in price with the lo- 

sality from $1 to $1.75 per bushel, and flour from $4.75 to $6,50 pel 
dred pounds. Domestic fowls do well, but are raised to a very limit* 
tent. There are some deer, and antelope and turkeys are | The 

ordinary varieties of small fresh-water fish are cam 

The South Coj creek all afford water pi 

of considerable capa< eir point of juncture, near Ben Fi 

is water power t to run tl ;st machi 

The only towns in the com It. Angela with 800, and Ben Fi 

with 400 inhabitants, an laces do a con 

Concho is a United States military post. The Texas and I 
Railway has about 110 miles of track and nine in thee 

namely: Midv Douro, Metz, Sand Hills, Aroya, P 

and Quito. The Methodist, Baptist, Christian, and Roman Catholic denomi- 
nations have church organizations, the last being strongest in point of mem- 
bership. The State free school fund was apportioned to the county for the 
year 1882-83, on a basis of a scholastic population of 244, and schools have 
been organized. The general and special county taxes aggregate 50 cents on 
the $100 worth of property. The county is rapidly filling up with a vigor- 
ous, progressive, and law-abiding population, and life and property are safe. 
The county is generally free from all causes of malaria, and it is noted for 
i ii ■•. of its climate. 



TEXAS 15 Y COUNTIES. TRAVIS COUNTY. 30& 



TRAVIS COUNTY 

AVas named in honor of William Barret Travis, who fell in the cause of 
Texan independence, while commanding the historic little garrison that 
fought to the death against immense odds in the besieged Alamo in 1836. 
The city of Austin, the county seat and the capital of the State, is 216 miles 
north ' est of the port of Galveston, by the line of the Houston and Texas 
Central, connecting with the Galveston, Houston and Henderson Railway. 
Area, 1019 square miles. 

Population in 1 850 3, 1 38 

Population in 1860 8,080 

Population in 1870 13,153 

Population in 1880 (32 per cent colored) 27,028 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 5,537,619 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 9,435,859' 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 594,859 

Less than forty years ago this county lay on the border line, where the 
last vestiges of civilization melted into barbarism, and the few adventurous 
pioneers within its limits lived literally with arms in their hands as an in- 
dispensable protection against the predatory attacks of their neighbors, the 
warlike Comanche Indians. Even as late as 1845, at the date of the ad- 
mission of the Republic of Texas as a State in the American Union, the 
capitol building in the city of Austin was still surrounded by a stockade 
fort. In 1882 peace and security are vouchsafed to a population of about 
32,000 within the borders of the county, and to rephce the original rude 
stcckaded capitol, a building of grand proportions, estimated to cost 
$1,750,000, and under contract, to be paid for ill public lands, without tax 
ation on the people of the State, is in course of construction. 

Owing to the diversity of its topography, soil, and other characteristics, 
the county is well adapted to the profitable pursuit of a great variety of in 
dustries. It combines, in fact, many of the distinctive features which 
separately characterize several sections of the State. From the heavily 
timbered hills, in some placed assuming the proportions of mountains, in 
the western portion, the surface slopes down to the rich alluvial bottoms of 
the Colorado river and the rolling prairies in the eastern section. The cot- 
ton, grain, and fruit producing lands lie side by side, and, in consequence, 
the landscape presents a pleasing diversity of aspect, and the products of 
the soil an unusual and profitable variety. The Colorado river flows 
through the county from west to east, in a somewhat southerly course. It 
ranks first amo:;g the rivers of the State in size, but, owing to the shoals 
20 



306 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



and falls in its channel, is not navigable. Along its banks are some of the 
most fertile and beautiful farms in the State, and also the most picturesque 
scenery. It pursues a zig-zag course across the county, thereby watering 
a large area, while the Pedernales river, in the western corner, with a num- 
ber of smaller streams flowing into the Colorado on either side, further 
increase the water resources of the county. Among the largest of these is 
Barton's, Big and Little Walnut, Gilleland, Cow, Sandy, Cypress, Bull, 
Bee, Boggy, Bear, Shoal, Cross, Dry, Onion, Williamson, Wilbarger, and 
Waller creeks. Many of these are perpetual streams, while others cease to 
flow only in years of exceptional drought. Water for drinking purposes is 
obtained from wells at a moderate depth, but it is generally more or less 
impregnated with lime, in consequence of which cistern water is preferred, 
and very generally used. 

In addition to being well watered, the county possesses the almost equally 
valuable condition of being abundantly timbered. About four-fifths of the 
area is more or less densely covered by a growth comprising almost every 
species of tree known to Texas, except the pine and sweet gum, which, 
indeed, are rarely to be found elsewhere than in the eastern and southeastern 
portions of the State. The hills and uplands abound in cedar, and oak of 
the several kinds, whilst the bottoms and rolling lands are studded with the 
pecan, hickory, ash, elm, walnut, hackberry, cypress, bois d'arc, mesquite, and 
cottonwood. Many of these woods possess qualities of hardness and dura- 
bility which make them valuable for building, mechanical, and manufacturing 
purposes. 

The good farming lands embrace about five-eights of the area, and only 
about one-fifth of this is under cultivation, the residue being devoted to 
grazing, or still undisturbed forest land. The varieties of soil are very nu- 
merous, a dark, or brownish-red loam, and a black, tenacious waxy land 
being the most prevalent. The land in the river bottoms is an alluvial soil 
of inexhaustable fertility, and is especially noted for the variety of crops to 
which it is equally adapted. The black lime soil of the mesquite and prairie 
lands is also very productive, and possesses the quality of resisting the ef- 
fects of drouth in an eminent degree. The mean annual rainfall is 32.50 
inches, and the seasons are somewhat irregular, but are generally more 
propitious for autumn, winter, and spring crops than for those maturing in 
summer. It is believed, however, that the precipitation has grown more 
uniform during the past twenty years. Under proper cultivation the usual 
yield per acre is, of cotton in the seed, 800 to 1000 pounds; of corn, 
about 30 bushels; of wheat, 16; of oats, 45 to 75; of rye, 12 to 15; of bar- 
ley, 40 to GO; of sweet potatoes, 200; and Irish, 90; of sorghum syrup, 3 
barrels; millet, 3 tons; and prairie hay, 1 ton. Garden vegetables, melons, 
fruits, and berries, of almost every kind common to the temperate zone do 
well. Apples, however, have never been successfully raised, but peaches, 
plums, and figs are particularly fine and plentiful. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — TRAVIS COUNTY. 307 

Agricultural implements of the latest and most approved patterns are in 
general use, and the adaptation of the crop to the soil and climate is receiv- 
ing increased attention. All things considered, the methods of agriculture 
may be said to be, in the main, intelligent and progressive. While the na- 
tive southern farmer is perhaps too exclusively devoted to cotton culture, 
and is content to leave experimental farming to others, the immigrant 
brings with him predilections quite as strong in favor of the staple products 
of the land of his birth. In this way, many crops which tradition has 
declared to be unsuited to the soil and climate, have been introduced and 
successfully grown. Barley may be mentioned as an instance of this pro- 
cess. The abundance and certainty of its yield have commended it as a 
valuable addition to the stock-feed products, if not in large measure as a 
substitute for corn (maize), which is not regarded as an altogether reliable 
crop in this section, owing to an occasional absence of plentiful rainfall dur- 
ing its short, critical maturing season. 

Wild lands of good quality can be bought at about $4 per acre, and 
tracts with one-third in cultivation at from $10 to $25, according to location 
and the character of the improvements; or rented for from $3 to $5 per 
cultivated acre, or one-fourth of the cotton and one-third of the grain and 
other crops. Farm laborers are paid from $15 to $20 per month, with 
board. The cost of ordinary fencing per mile is about $200, but the 
barbed wire and plank fence is rapidly supplanting the rail and plank fence 
on the score of cheapness in the long run. Hedges for fencing purposes, 
although easily grown, requiring less labor and expense when once set, besides 
being much more lasting and sightly, have not yet come into general use. 
The bois d'arc has been tried in a few instances, but, as it is in its habit a tree 
and not a shrub, with unsatisfactory results. The native argerite plant, an 
evergreen, a vigorous grower, inclining to branch out thickly near the 
ground, resisting the incursion of cattle where it grows in the open range, 
is believed to possess the leading qualities to be sought for in the true 
hedging plant for this section. 

Considerable attention is paid to stockraising, either as a separate pursuit 
or in connection with farming. A large part of the area not enclosed for 
farms is carpeted with a luxuriant growth of the mesquite grass, the most 
nutritious of the native grasses of the State. There is also the Colorado 
bottom grass, which springs up in the cultivated fields in the river bottoms, 
and for hay is considered almost equal to oats. Two crops a year — about 
three and a half tons — are grown. The number of stock in the county, 
as assessed in 1882, is, of cattle, 36,658; horses and mules, 12,818; sheep, 
19,646; goats, 2676; hogs, 7457. Cattle, horses, mules, and goats are 
raised on the range at small expense, and require little care or attention. 
Sheep also are, for the most part, kept on the range, but during the winter 
they require, and generally receive, more or less feed in inclement weather, 
at a cost not exceeding 50 cents per head. If given reasonable attention they 



308 



EESJUECES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



are subject to no disease, and increase at the rate of 60 per cent, and 
yield a fleece of four to six pounds per annum, worth at Austin, the home 
market, 25 cents per pound. Hogs are not successfully raised on the range 
without other food, and require attention and some feed throughout the 
year. Work horses are worth $30 to $50; mules, $50 to $60; and oxen, 
$60 per yoke. The usual retail market price of beef and mutton is from 8 
to 12 cents per pound; pork, 10; bacon, 15; corn, 75 cents to $1 per bushel; 
and flour, $7 to $10 per barrel. Domestic fowls of all kinds are profitably 
raised. Wild game is still abundant, such as deer, turkeys, wild geese, 
ducks, quail, plover, and rabbits. The larger streams are tolerably W2ll 
supplied with catfish, gaspergoo, trout, perch, fresh-water mullet, and 
buffalo. 

The city of Austin is situated on a commanding eminence on the north 
bank of the Colorado river. The general elevation of the site is about 650 
feet above the sea level, and from Capitol Hill, and many other positions within 
its limits, is presented to view an extended and pleasing landscape, diversi- 
fied by rugged mountains, broad valleys, high undulating prairies, culti- 
vated fields, and primeval forests. The population of the city in 1880 was 
10,960, and it is estimated that the number of its inhabitants in 1882 is 
something over 12,000. It was selected as the capital of the infant Repub- 
lic of Texas, in 1839, when there were few or no white settlements between 
it and the southern and southeastern portions of the Republic, where the bulk 
of the then sparse population was located, and when all beyond to the 
westward and north and southwestward was a wilderness. Indeed it was 
so selected on the extreme frontier, in part because it would subserve the 
purpose of an out-post, but chiefly because it would exert a powerful influ- 
ence in extending the area of civilization further west, and, in the near fu- 
ture, in binding together the widely separated sections of the Republic. Un- 
der the circumstances, it is a matter of wonder that a location com- 
bining so many advantages and so few drawbacks should have been chosen. 
Each succeeding year the people of the State have felt more cause for pride 
and gratification at the far-seeing discrimination displayed by the choice. 
Austin, by common consent, is regarded as among the most beautiful towns 
in the State, and it is equally noted for the salubrity of its climate, the in- 
telligence and social refinement of its citizens, and the elegance and substan- 
tial character of many of its private residences, business houses, and public 
buildings. These are constructed chiefly of stone obtained from quarries 
of apparently inexhaustable supply in the immediate vicinity. The nota- 
ble public buildings are, the county court house, the postoffice and United 
States court building, the temporary capitol, and the asylums for the blind, 
for the deaf and dumb, and for the insane. Eighteen church edifices, 
many of them spacious and handsome, dedicated to the use of the several 
religious denominations, crown the numerous eminences, while the educa- 
tional interests are represented by a commodious, if not elegant, public 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — TRAVIS COUNTY. 309 

school building, and several smaller and less imposing ones for private 
institutions of learning. The first of a number of buildings for the 
University of Texas, now in course of construction, will be completed by 
the first of June, 1883, and it is proposed by the regents to put the Uni- 
versity in operation in September following, on such a scale as the funds 
immediately available for that purpose will permit. When inaug- 
urated, the law of its creation requires that male and female 
students shall be admitted on equal terms, and that no other charge shall 
be made than an initiation fee, which is limited to thirty dollars. The mu- 
nificent endowment, consisting of 1,219,900 acres of the public domain, 
and cash, land notes, and State bonds amounting to $503,304.30, provided 
by the Constitution and existing laws for its maintenance, it is confidently 
believed will be supplemented, at no distant day, by such further appropri- 
ations of public lands as will guarantee the early establishment of a uni- 
versity of the first class on a firm foundation. 

Owing to a lack of railway communication, the growth of the city, up to 
a recent period, has not quite kept pace with the almost unparalleled ad- 
vancement of the State. But within the past few years this barrier to its 
progress has been removed by the completion of the Western branch of the 
Houston and Texas Central, and the International and Great Northern 
Railways, which form a junction at Austin. In addition to these two main 
arteries of commerce, the Austin and Northwestern Railway is now push- 
ing its way rapidly in the direction which its name indicates, and has already 
reached its first objective point, Burnet, the county seat of the county of 
that name, sixty miles distant. Here it strikes both marble and granite 
formations of vast extent and of unsurpassed fineness and variety. Speci- 
mens of these granites and marbles have been recently subjected to scientific 
tests by government experts at Washington City, and pronounced to be 
equal to the best American or imported stone of the kinds. These will be 
largely used in the capitol building now under construction, and 
it is believed in the near future the working of marble and granite 
will become a large and profitable industry in the city. But, however that 
may be, the railway last named can hardly fail to be the means of largely 
augmenting the general trade of the city by opening up the wide extent of 
fertile and growing country to the north and west. 

Near this point the Colorado river has a fall of ten and a half feet, which, 
it is believed by competent judges, would furnish water-power of very large 
capacity for manufacturing purposes. But, for obvious reasons, this has 
not so far been utilized, beyond the establishment of a single flouring mill, 
which, though operated on a small scale, has proven a paying investment. 
One other flouring mill, driven by steam, two ice factories, one iron foundry, 
one tannery, and a number of furnaces for the production of lime and ce- 
ment, comprise the manufacturing industries of the city. Of the lime and 
cement, the quality of which is pronounced equal to the best in use, largo 



310 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

shipments are made to many points in the State. The city is lighted by 
gas, and is supplied with water for the extinguishment of fire and for gen- 
eral purposes by a well equipped and managed system of water works. 
There are six flouring mills, driven by steam, in different parts of the 
county, which supply the local demand and are operated with profit. 

Manor, Duval, Dupre, Manchaca, and Cummings are growing villages 
and railway stations, which furnish convenient shipping points for the more 
densely settled portions of the county. 

There are one hundred and five public free schools organized in the 
county, twelve of which are in Austin, for a scholastic population of 4960, 
and the daily average attendance during the school term is about 75 per 
cent. The moral and religious tone of the county is fully up to the stand- 
ard of many older and longer organized communities. Each individual 
and family, gathered here from many lands, have brought with them, and 
transplanted in this new soil, the civilization of their old homes. Every 
country neighborhood has its well attended church and school house, and 
in Austin, especially, religious and educational privileges are widely dis- 
pensed and highly appreciated. The Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Ro- 
man Catholic, Christian, Episcopal, Lutheran, and Hebrew denominations 
are all largely represented, and the members of these several churches min- 
gle together in social and business life with little or no recognition of dif- 
ferences of sect. Of the society of the city, it may be truly said that it 
has the culture, grace, and intelligence of the best circles in the older and 
larger cities of other States, whilst that tendency to grandeur and display 
in styles of living which marks the concentration of opulence in a few 
hands is as yet almost unknown, and the utmost cordiality and good 
fellowship are, with one accord, extended to the worthy immigrant and 
stranger. The climate is mild and equable the year round, in this 
respect suggesting a favorable comparison with that of Southern 
France and Italy. The atmosphere combines much of the softness 
of that of the gulf coast, without its humidity, with the salubrity 
of the elevated plains of the northwestern section of the State. The 
extreme oppressiveness of summer often experienced in more northern lati- 
tudes, is almost unknown here. So much is the climate modified by the 
prevailing southerly breezes from the gulf that the absolute heat, as regis- 
tered by the thermometer, which, however, rarely reaches 100 deg. Fahren- 
heit, is not a true measure of the sensible heat in this locality. And these 
balmy breezes from the south temper the winter's cold as well. The sharp 
and sudden blasts from the region of snows during the winter months, 
called northers, are the only serious drawbacks. These rarely exceed three 
days in duration, and whilst severe and trying in exposed positions on the 
open plains, are not more so, except by contrast with the prevailing mild 
temperature, than the winter storms of higher latitudes. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — TRINITY COUNTY. 311 



TRINITY COUNTY 

Is in Eastern Texas and lies between the Trinity and Xeches rivers, 
which respectively constitute its southwestern and northeastern boundaries. 
The town of Trinity, its chief shipping point and railway station, is 86 miles 
north of the city of Houston, by the line of the International and Great 
Northern Railway. Area, 708 square miles. 

Population in 1870 4,141 

Population in 1880* (23 per cent colored) 4,915 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 23S 

Assessed value of taxable property in ISSi* 876,784 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1SS2 916,331 

Assessed value of live stock in 1S82 131,010 

Tart of tliie county was added t" Polk in 1875. 

The general surface is moderately undulating, rising occasionally into 
low sand hills, and with narrow valleys along the smaller streams. The 
Trinity river is bordered by wide level bottoms through a great part of its 
course. About three-fourths of the area was originally studded with a 
dense and heavy growth of white, red, post, and pin oak, ash, walnut, cy- 
press, hickory, pecan and pine, the last named exceeding all the rest in 
quantity. The amount of merchantable long-leaf pine (pinns AustraNs) 
standing in the county in 1880, as estimated by the United States Census 
Forestry Bureau, was 51,000,000 feet, and of the loblolly pine (pinus toada) 
1,987,200,000 feet, board measure. In all portions of the county are found 
areas of open prairies, containing from ten to four hundred acres each. 
Very abundant and convenient water for stock and general purposes is sup- 
plied by the Neches and Trinity rivers and Big Piney, Cochina, White 
Rock, and Kickapoo creeks, and numerous spring branches. Water for 
domestic purposes is obtained chiefly from wells at a moderate depth, 
though there are many unfailing springs. The mean annual rainfall is 
about 45 inches, and the seasons are generally regular. The soil of the prai- 
ries is for the most part a black, stiff, lime earth; that of the post and red oak 
uplands, a dark gray loam; and that of the pine woods, a deep, light, sandy 
land, the latter being inferior and valuable chiefly for the timber. Along 
Trinity river is generally a stiff, black waxy land, and between the river 
bottoms proper and the uplands are second bottoms or hammocks, both of 
which are easily tilled and very productive. The bottom and hammock lands 
often yield from 1000 to 1600 pounds of seed cotton, and from 25 to 50 
bushels of corn per acre. The best upland yields 500 to 1000 pounds of cot- 
ton and 20 to 25 bushels of corn. Sweet and Irish potatoes, melons, and 



312 



RESCURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



vegetables are raised in great abundance. Hickory nuts, chinquapins, and 
pecans, as well as many kinds of indigenous berries, are a sure crop. 
Wild lands suitable for farms are held at from $2 to $3, and tracts with a 
portion in cultivation and with dwellings, etc., at from $3 to $6. Culti- 
vated land usually rents for one-fourth of the cotton and one-third of 
other crops. There are some school lands in the county, for sale at the 
prices fixed by law. (See official map accompanying this volume.) 

The sedge is the most abundant variety of native grass, and in addition 
to it are the succulent crab grass and the large, flat-leafed valley grass in 
the prairies bordering the Trinity. There are also large areas covered with 
switch cane which afford fine winter pasturage. Herds are not large, and 
the county is not, strictly speaking, a stock county, but stock generally 
keep in fair condition the year round. Hogs are raised entirely in the for- 
ests, on the mast of which they are fattened in many seasons. The assess- 
ment rolls of 1882 show in the county 2014 horses and mules, 9522 cattle, 
656 sheep, 234 goats, and 7230 hogs. 

The International and Great Northern Railway runs through the south- 
western part of the county, and the Trinity and Sabine branch of the same 
line runs from the town of Trinity through the southern part. 

There is a scholastic population of 923, for which free schools are pro- 
vided, and there is also a college at Pennington, and two first-class private 
schools, one at Trinity, and one at Centralia. Groveton, to which the 
county seat has recently been moved, is a small town situated on the Trinity 
and Sabine Railway. The Methodist, Baptist, Christian, and Presbyterian 
denominations have church organizations, and there are churches in nearly 
every neighborhood. The county has no debt, and levies a tax of 20 cents 
on the $100 worth of property. The population is quiet, orderly, peaceable, 
and law abiding. In summer and fall, in and along the edges of the bot- 
toms, malarial sickness prevails to a greater or less extent, but the general 
health of the county is good. Near Trinity Station are springs of sulphur 
water possessing valuable medicinal properties, containing, as shown by an. 
alysis, six grains of sulphur to the gallon. 



TYLER COUNTY 

Lies on the Neches river, in Southeastern Texas, and Woodville, the 
county seat, is 90 miles north of the port of Sabine Pass, by the line of 
the Sabine and East Texas Railroad. Area, 918 square miles. 

Population in 1870 5,010 

Population in 1880 (38 per cent colored) 5,825 



•- — TEXAS BY COUNTIES. TYLER COUNTY. 313 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $349,713 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 673,473 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 1 18,147 

The northern portion of the county is rough and broken, with some high 
hills. The remainder is more or less undulating, except a very level strip 
or belt, about ten miles wide, extending across the southern part of the 
county. The entire area is covered with a dense forest growth of pine, 
oak, hickory, ash, walnut, gum. elm, magnolia, beech, and other varieties of 
timber. The amount of merchantable long-leaved pine [pinus Australis) 
standing in the county in 1S80, as estimated by the United States Census 
Foresty Bureau, was 2, 550,4 00,000 feet, board measure. 

The Neches river bounds the county on the north and east for a distance 
of seventy miles, by the course of the stream, and is navigable for light- 
draught steamboats for six months in the year. Black, Thornvine, Turkey, 
Hickory, School, and Village creeks and their many tributaries are all bold, 
perpetual streams, and are widely and conveniently distributed throughout 
the county. Wells are everywhere obtained at a shallow depth, and springs 
of pure freestone water are numerous. There also a number of mineral 
springs, the waters of which are believed to possess medical qualities of con- 
siderable value. The mean annual rainfall is about 45 inches, and the sea- 
sons are generally propitious for all crops adapted to the climate. 

The soil is generally a light sandy, much of it being inferior and valuable 
chiefly for the timber, but the dark loam and alluvial lands of the creek* and 
river bottoms, which constitute a considerable area, are very productive. 
The section west and northwest of Woodville is regarded as embracing the 
best agricultural lands in the county. Under ordinarily favorable condi- 
the average yield per acre is, of seed cotton, 600 pounds; of corn, 25 
bushels; and of oats, 25 bushels, though the bottom lands often produce 
largely more. Ribbon cane planted in alluvial soil often yields 300 
gallons of syrup to the acre. All kinds of garden vegetables are grown 
in abundance. Peaches, pears, figs, and plums are raised in large quanti- 
ties, with ordinary care and attention. Hickory nuts, walnuts, dewberries, 
and blackberries are the unfailing and usually plentiful crops of the forests. 

Unimproved lightly timbered sandy lands are held at $1 an acre, and 
black land at $3. Improved tracts are sold for from two to three times 
these figures, and rent for one-third the grain and one-fourth the cotton 
raised. 

There are in the county 102 sections (65,280 acres) of State school land, 
principally covered with heavy pine forests, and held at $5 cash per acre. 
Lumber costs $10 per thousand feet; and ordinary rail fencing from $S0 
to $85 per mile. 

The sedge is the most abundant variety of grass, and is supplemented by 
small areas of the carpet and crab grass. The winter pasturage is not good, 



314 RESOUKCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

and stock require to be fed in that season. Stockraising is almost invaria- 
bly combined with agriculture, and there are no large herds. The assess- 
ment rolls of 1881 show in the county 1788 horses and mules, 7930 
cattle, 1551 sheep, and 15,523 hogs. The latter are easily and cheaply 
raised, running at large in the forests, and in many seasons fattening entirely 
on the mast. 

The Sabine and East Texas Railroad traverses the county centrally from 
north to south, through its entire length, and has four stations, the princi- 
pal one being "Woodville, the county seat, with 900 inhabitants and an ag. 
gregate annual of trade of .$150,000. There are seven saw mills in the 
county, and at Iron Bluff there is in successful operation a Clement's at- 
tachment cotton gin, engaged in the manufacture of cotton yarns for the 
home and northern markets. There are a number of streams in the county 
from 15 to 50 miles long, and furnishing large water power. 

The State free school fund is apportioned to a scholastic population of 
96.1, for which public free schools are organized and in operation. The 
Methodist, Christian, and Baptist denominations have houses of worship, and 
church conveniences are good in most parts of the county. The inhabitants 
are generally possessed of a fair competency, few being wealthy, and are in- 
dustrious, moral, and law-abiding. The county levies a tax of 20 cents on 
the $10ft worth of property, and owes a small floating debt. Malarial sick- 
ness prevails to some extent near the bottoms in summer and fall, but the 
county is swept by an almost constant gulf breeze. There are no extremes 
of heat and cold, and the general health is good. 



UPSHUR COUNTY 

Is in Northeast Texas, in north latitude 32 deg. 45 min., and west longi- 
tude 94 deg. 55 min., and Gilmer, the county seat, is 202 miles north of 
the city of Houston, by the line of the Texas and St. Louis Railway and 
its connections. Area, 519 square miles 

Population in 1870 12,039 

Population in 1S80 (one-third colored)* 10,266 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,528,086 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881* , 1,251,014 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,260,898 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 160,276 

* Portions of the oouuty were taken to form Gregg county in 1873, and Camp county in 1874. 

The face of the country is generally rolling, and from near the center two 
ranges of hills, separated by the waters of Little Cypress creek, run through 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — UPSHUR COUNTY. 815 

the southeast portion of the county. These hills in many places assume 
the proportions of mountains, and are covered, as is the entire remaining 
area, with a dense forest growth. Much of the timber is large and valua- 
ble, and consists of post oak, red oak, white oak, pin oak, hickory, black 
gum, sweet gum, pine, and many other varieties. The amount of mer- 
chantable short-leaf pine (pinus mitis) standing in the county in 1880, as 
estimated by the United States Census Forestry Bureau, was 1,392,000,000 
feet, board measure. 

The Sabine river washes the southwestern border of the county, and. 
together with Big and Little Cypress and Sandy creeks, and their numerous 
tributaries, provides an abundant supply of water for general purposes at 
all seasons. Many springs of pure water are found, and wells are easily 
obtained at a shallow depth, and are most generally used. 

The soil of the uplands is a gray loam on a substratum of red clay, and 
that in the valleys and creek bottoms a light alluvium — both easy of culti- 
vation and fairly productive, the latter being most esteemed for farms. 
Much of the soil of the pine uplands is inferior and of little value, except 
for the timber. Improved agricultural implements are employed to only a 
limited extent. The mean annual rainfall is about 47 inches, and crops 
rarely suffer seriously from drouth. In the bottom lands cotton frequently 
yields from two-thirds of a bale to a bale per acre, and corn from 30 to 50 
bushels, but the average yield in the county, one season with another, is 
about half these outside figures, while that of wheat is from S to 10 bushels; 
oats, 30; potatoes, sweet, 150 to 200; Irish, 80 to 90; molasses, 200 gallons; 
sorghum syrup, 150. All kinds of vegetables common to the latitude are 
grown in great abundance. Apples, peaches, and plums are easily raised 
in large quantities. Tears at one time did well, but within recent years 
the trees have suffered greatly from blight. 

Unimproved land, suitable for farms, ranges in value from S3 to $5 an 
acre, and improved tracts from $5 to $15, and the latter rents for from $3 to 
$5 per cultivated acre. Ordinary rail fencing costs from $90 to $100 a 
mile. Very few hedges are grown. Pine lumber is worth $10 per thousand 
feet at the mills. 

The native grasses are not abundant, and the county is not adapted to 
stockraising on a large scale, though the summer and fall range is usu- 
ally good, and most farmers raise sufficient stock for their own use, with 
but little trouble or expense. Cattle, horses, and sheep require the run of 
the fields, small grain pasturage, and more or less feed in winter. Hogs, in 
most seasons, find ample mast in the forests to fatten them for slaughter. 
The number of stock in the county, according to the assessment rolls of 1882, 
are 2757 horses and mules, 7702 cattle, 1316 sheep, and 9168 hogs. "Work 
animals and all food supplies can be bought at reasonable prices. Domestic 
fowls are raised in every farmyard, and game and fish are moderately 
plentiful. 



316 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE 0¥ 



The manufacturing interests of the county are represented by one flouring 
mill, about sixteen grist mills, eighteen saw mills, and a number of exten- 
sive shingle mills. The manufacture of lumber is an industry of large and 
increasing importance. 

The Texas and Pacific Railway passes through the southwestern portion 
of the county, and has one station, Big Sandy. The Texas and St. Louis 
Railway passes nearly centrally from the north boundary, via Gilmer, the 
county seat, thence through the southwest corner. 

There are large quantities of valuable iron ore in the county, but no sys- 
tematic mining has been done. Tests made by experts show the ore to be 
of very superior quality. Some of the streams afford limited water power, 
but it has been applied only in a small way. 

The State free school fund is apportioned to 964 white, and 4S6 colored 
children, and for the former 38 and for the latter 22 schools are maintained. 

The Christian, Methodist, Baptist, and Cumberland Presbyterian denom- 
inations have church organizations, and nearly every village and neighbor- 
hood has a place for holding religious services, the attendance on which is 
very general. Gilmer has about 500 inhabitants and a good local trade. 
Coffeeville, Big Sandy, and Simpsonville are small but thriving villages, in 
the midst of prosperous communities. 

The county levies a tax of 40 cents on the $100, and has little or no 
debt. The county was oi'ganized at an early date, and was for many years, 
before its territory was reduced, among the wealthiest and most populous 
counties in the state. The population is generally intelligent, hospitable, 
and law-abiding, and the enforcement of the law is sustained by a sound, 
healthy public sentiment. 

In summer and fall, along the streams, malarial attacks, in the form of 
light chills and fever, are more or less prevalent, but the thorough drainage, 
pure water, and pine forests render the general health good. The mean 
temperature in summer is 83 deg. Fahrenheit, and in winter 45 de^. 



UVALDE COUNTY 

Is in north latitude 29 deg. 20 min., and west longitude 99 deg. 40 min., 
and is separated from the Rio Grande by the county of Kinney. Area, 
1548 square miles. 

Population in 1S70 851 

Population in 1880 (2£ per cent colored) 2,541 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $ 431,785 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1 SSI 903,669 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1SS2 1,606, 149 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — UVALDE COUNTY. 317 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 §320,1 13 

Assessed value of live stock in 1S82 501,316 

The northern portion of the county is mountainous, with valleys along the 
Nueces and Frio rivers and Sabinal and Seco creeks ami their numerous 
tributaries. The southern portion is an extended prairie, covered at inter, 
vals with thick clumps of mesquite trees, and in the more depressed places 
with unodegato, or cat's claw, and a scattering growth of live oak. Some 
eight or ten miles south of the mountains are broad prairies, almost totally 
devoid of timber, but carpeted with grasses of unusual richness and luxuri- 
ance. In the mountains, on the Nueces and Frio rivers, there are large 
bodies of cedar, and in the Sabinal valley of post oak and black-jack; and 
in the valleys of all the streams in the northern part of the county are 
groves of pecan, elm and hackberry; and on the Frio and Sabinal there is 
cypress in considerable quantity. In the northern part of the county cedar 
is used for fencing, and in the southern part mesquite. The whole amount 
of timbered land comprises between one-fourth and one-half of the area of 
the county. 

Flowing through the county from north to south are the Nueces and Frio 
rivers and Seco. Sabinal, Leona, and Turkey creeks. The four first named 
are clear, running streams in the mountains, below which the water sinks 
into depressions in the plains. An ample supply of water, however, is ob- 
tained from creeks, springs, and wells for all stock and domestic purposes. 

About one-fourth the entire area is adapted to purposes of cultivation, and 
it is estimated that 5000 acres are enclosed in farms. The soil of the up- 
lands is a gray sandy land, and that of the valleys a deep, dark loam, resting 
on a substratum of clay. The mean annual rainfall for the past four years, 
as registered at the station of the United States Signal Service at Uvalde. 
was as follows: 1878, 23.97 inches; 1870, 19.22 inches; 1880, 31.29 
inches, and 1881, 21.54 inches; the highest monthly mean being in May and 
August. Irrigation is neccessary to insure uniformly fair crops, facilities for 
which are moderately convenient by means of ditches from the mountain 
streams. Improved agricultural implements are used to advantage by about 
one-half the farmers. "With favorable seasons, or under irrigation, cotton 
produces from 600 to 1200 pounds in the seed per acre; corn, 25 bushels: 
wheat, 12 to 20 bushels, oats, 50 to 70; sweet potatoes, 200; sorghum 
syrup, 200 gallons; and melons and vegetables yield in like proportion. 
Peaches, grapes, figs, and plums grow and mature well. 

Unimproved land, suitable for farms, is held at from $2 to $3 per acre; 
improved tracts from $5 to $8. Cultivated land rents for $2 to $3 per 
acre. There are in the county about 300 sections (192,000 acres) of State 
school lands, generally of inferior quality, which can be bought at a mini- 
mum price of from $1 to $2 per acre, according to the water supply. 
Fencing costs from $150 to $250 per mile. No hedges are grown. Pine 
lumber is worth from $30 to $40 per thousand feet. 



318 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



Owing to the lack of transportation until a very recent period, agriculture 
has received comparatively little attention, stockraising being the leading 
pursuit of the inhabitants. The several varieties of mesquite comprise 
about three- fifths of the native grasses, and red and blue sedge the greater 
part of the remainder. The mesquite is the most nutritious, and affords 
good pasturage the year round. Range stock receive no other feed in 
winter than that furnished by the native pastures, on which, in summer, they 
keep very fat. The assessment rolls of January 1, 1882, show in the county 
2450 horses and mules, 19,802 cattle, 108,853 sheep, 17,726goats, and 1763 
hogs. The increase of stock, both naturally and by the introduction of 
new herds, is so rapid that these figures are believed to be largely less than 
the actual number of stock at the present time. Work animals and domes- 
tic food supplies can all be procured at reasonable prices. On the Nueces, 
Frio, and Sabinal, in the mountains, there is water power of considerable ca- 
pacity ,but it has been utilized as yet to only a limited extent. There are sur- 
face indications of the existence of iron ore and coal, and also, to a less ex- 
tent, of silver, but no efforts to determine the value of the deposits have 
been made. In the mountains there are several large caves, in which there 
are enormous quantities of the richest guano, the droppings through untold 
years of vast numbers of bats. The guano is of a dark brown color, of about 
the consistency of finely ground coffee, and is as strongly impregnated with 
ammonia as the best Peruvian guano. Chemical tests have established its 
great value as a fertilizer, and it is being removed in large quantities, and 
shipped to Europe, by a company organized for the purpose. 

The Mexican and Pacific extention of the Galveston, Harrisburg and 
San Antonio Railroad passes through the county from east to west, and has 
two stations, Sabinal and Uvalde. Uvalde, the county seat, has about 1000 
inhabitants, and is thriving town, with a good local trade. Sabinal and 
Waresville have about 200 inhabitants each. 

The Roman Catholic and Methodist are numerically the strongest religious 
denominations, but are there also a number of Christians, Baptists, Presby- 
terians, and Episcopalians in the county. Church conveniences are limited, 
but improving. There are no church buildings, but the supplying of this 
want is only a question of a very short time. Religious services are held 
with seme degree of regularity in the towns. At an election recently held 
under the local option statute, the majority of the votes were cast for 
prohibition of the sale of spirituous liquors in the county. 

The scholastic population is 426, and the average daily attendance in the 
public free schools is about 75 per cent. The. county levies a tax of 40 cents 
on the $100 worth of property, to pay for a court house and jail, which have 
been erected, and 20 cents for general purposes. 

The mean temperature in summer is about 85 deg., and in winter 45 
deg. Fahrenheit. The general health of the county is almost invariably ex" 
cellent. Its mountains are frequently resorted to with benefit by invalids 
suffering with pulmonary diseases. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — VAN ZANDT COUNTY. 319 



VAN ZANDT COUNTY. 

^ ills Point, the largest town and chief shipping station of this county, is 
forty-seven miles east of the city of Dallas, by the line of the Texas and 
C Railway. Area of the county, 840 square miles. 

Population in 1870 G,494 

Population in 1830 (10 per cent colored) 12,619 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $005,253 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,078,282 

About two-t' irds of the county is nearly level woodland, sloping, how- 
ever, sufficiently to the southeast to effect thorough drainage; the remaining 
one-third is rolling prairie. The wooded portion is studded with a heavy 
growth of post oak, red oak, hickory, ash, walnut, blackjack, bitter pecan, 
Cottonwood, gum, pine, and other varieties of timber. The amount of mer- 
chantable short-leaf pine (pinus mitis), standing in the county in 1880, as 
estimated by the United States Census Forestry Bureau, was 26,000,000 
feet, board measure. A number of creeks flow from near the center of the 
county into the Sabine river, which forms the northeastern boundry; a num- 
ber flow south into the larger tributaries of the Trinity river, and others 
into the Neches river, which rises in the county and washes the southeast- 
ern border. Most of these creeks afford abundant water at all times, but 
some of them go dry in summer. Wells of good water can be obtained at 
almost any desired point by digging from 20 to 40 feet, and are in general 
use, except in the prairie portions, where the well water is somewhat im- 
pregnated with lime, and underground cisterns are preferred. 

It is estimated that nine-tenths of the entire county is adapted to farm- 
ing purposes, and that about one-tenth is enclosed in farms of an average 
size of fifty acres. A small pare of the eastern side of the county is rich 
red land; the southern and middle is a gray, loamy soil; while the north- 
ern part is generally a black hog-wallow, alternating with black sandy 
land; along most of the streams is alight, mellow alluvium. Improved 
plows and cultivators are used to a considerable extent, and. mi ler or- 
dinarily favorable conditions, the yield of cotton is from one- fourth to 
two-thirds of a bale; corn, 25 to 30 bushels; wheat, 10 to 15; oats. ID; 
barley, 35; potatoes, Irish, 90 to 100; sweet, 200; molasses from rib- 
bon cane, 250 to 300 gallons; millet, 2 to 3 tons; and of all kinds of vege- 
tables common to the latitude, is very large Wherever proper attention 
has been paid to fruit raising the results have been very satisfactory 
apples and peaches especially being grown in large quantities, and small 
fruits have proved very successful. The mean annual rainfall is about 4 



320 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



inches, and is usually so distributed as to insure uniformly fair crops, an en- 
tire failure never having occurred in the county. 

Unimproved land, suitable for farms, ranges in price from $2 to $6 per 
acre, improved tracts from $6 to $15, and the latter rent for from $3 to $5 
an acre, or for one-third the corn and one-fourth of the cotton raised. Or- 
dinary rail fencing costs $95 to $110 per mile. Hedges are grown to only 
a limited extent. Pine lumber is worth from $10 to $18 per thousand feet. 
The prairie portion of the county affords fine pasturage, and much of it is en- 
closed for that purpose. The range is usually sufficient to keep stock in 
good condition for the greater part of the year, but, by the rapid settlement 
of the county, the area of grazing lands is being so much reduced that stock- 
raising, as a separate pursuit, is not so profitable as it was at an earlier day. 
All kinds of stock, except hogs, now require feed in winter, which has ne- 
cessitated the reduction of the size of herds, and stockraising is chiefly com- 
bined with agriculture. On January 1, 1882, according to the assessment 
rolls, there were in the county 5137 horses and mules, 18.724 cattle, 2045 
sheep, 349 goats, and 18,079 hogs. The raising of the latter is exceedingly 
profitable, owing to their exemption from disease, and the abundance of mast 
in the forests, which is in many seasons sufficient to fatten them without the 
use of grain. Work horses are worth from $50 to $100; mules, $90 to $150; 
oxen, $50 to $60 per yoke. Beef in the local markets retails at from 5 to 6 
cents per pound; mutton, 7 to 8; pork, 5 to 6; bacon, 10 to 12£; corn, 50 cents 
a bushel; flour, $3 to $4 per hundred pounds. Domestic fowls are raised in 
large numbers with but little trouble, and large and small game and fish are 
in abundant supply. 

Large saline deposits exist in the northern part of the county, and salt of 
the finest quality is extensively manufactured. There is one mill run by wa- 
ter power, but, owing to the lack of sufficient fall in most of the streams, 
the water power is limited. There are two flouring mills of large capacity 
at Wills Point, and a number of saw mills in the pine districts of the county. 

The Texas and Pacific Railway runs through the northern part of the 
county from east to west, and has four stations, Grand Saline, Bolton, 
Edgewood, and Wills Point. The latter has from 1000 to 1200 inhabitants, 
and is a thriving town, surrounded by a prosperous population. Canton, the 
county seat, has about 400 inhabitants. The Baptist, Methodist, Christian, 
and Old and New School Presbyterian denominations have comfortable 
houses of worship, and there is a church in nearly every neighborhood, and 
in some, two or more. The scholastic population for the year 1882-83 is 
2018, for which free schools are organized, the daily average attendance 
in which is about 70 per cent of the enrollment. At Wills Point and sev- 
eral other places in the county there are private schools of good grade. The 
county levies a tax of 20 cents on the $100, and has no debt. The popula- 
tion is equal in point of intelligence, and the qualities of good citizenship, to- 
that in any portion of the State. In summer and autumn, near the larger 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — VICTORIA COUNTY. 32l 

streams, malarial sickness prevails to a greater or less extent, but it is gener* 
erally of a mild type and easily controlled. With this exception, the county" 
is generally exempt from sickness. The mean temperature in summer i§ 
about 82 deg., and in winter about 45 deg. 



VICTORIA COUNTY 

Lies in north latitude 28 deg. 45 min., and west longitude 97 deg., and 
Victoria, the county seat, is 3S miles northwest of the port of Indianola, by 
the line of the Gulf, West Texas and Pacific Railroad. Area, 882 square 
miles. 

Population in 1 870 -*,860 

Population in 1 880 (38 per cent colored) 6,289 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870..* &S20,950 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1 881 2,864,315 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 3,164,900 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 624,986 

Assessed value of live stock in 18S2 S34.01 1 

The general surface is a gently undulating plain, sloping gradually towards 
the gulf, traversed by a number of streams, and more or less densely 
co\ered over about two-fifths of its area with a forest growth of post oak, 
black jack, live oak, white oak, pecan, burr oak, ash, elm, and hackberry. 

The Guadalupe river flows nearly centrally through the county, from north- 
west to southeast, and is a broad, clear, perpetual stream. The San Antonio 
river, also a constantly running stream, foi ms the southwestern, and Arenosa 
creek the northeastern boundary of the county. These streams and their 
numerous tributaries distribute an abundant and convenient supply of 
water. Pure water for domestic purposes is supplied chiefly by wells, which 
are obtained at a shallow depth in nearly every part of the county. There 
are a number of springs of sulphur water (yellow, blue, and white) in the 
county, which are believed to possess valuable medicinal properties. The 
mean annual rainfall for nine years, beginning January 1, 1873, as regis- 
tered at the station of the United States Signal Service at Indianola, in the 
adjoining county, was 38.65 inches, and the precipitation was heaviest in 
August, September, and October in each of those years. 

Nearly the entire area of the county is arable, and fully one-third is well 

adapted to farming purposes. The soils most esteemed are divided between 

the alluvial lands of the river and creek bottoms, and the black-waxy lime 

lands of the prairies. The sandy prairies and post oak uplands, which are 

21 



322 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

in larger proportion, while not so fertile, are free, easily cultivated, and, in 
favorable seasons, fairly productive. 

The use of improved implements of husbandry is general. With the 
usual seasons, and the usually not very thorough cultivation, cotton produces 
from 600 to 1000 pounds in the seed per acre; corn, 20 to 30 bushels; 
oats, 35; potatoes, Irish, '75; sweet, 150. The yield of vegetables and mel- 
ons, ordinarily, is very large, and peaches, plums, and grapes grow well and 
return a large yield of fine fruit wherever they receive proper attention. 
Unimproved prairie land, suitable for farms, is worth from $2 to $5 per 
acre, and bottom lands from $5 to $20. Tracts with open land and neces- 
sary improvements sell for from $5 to $40, and rent for from $3.50 to $5 per 
cultivated acre. Fencing of wire costs about $175 a mile, and that of plank 
about $300. Hedges of the McCartney rose are successfully grown, and to 
a considerable extent. Pine lumber is worth about $30 per thousand feet. 

A large part of the county is covered thickly with native grasses, and is 
grazed on by large herds of stock. According to the assessment rolls, there 
were in the county January 1, 1882, G722 horses and mules, (58,045 cattle, 
7875 sheep, 342 goats, and 3776 hogs. Stock usually feed on the open 
range or in enclosed pastures at all seasons, but in severe winter weather 
would be the better if fed to some extent. Work horses are worth from 
$40 to $60; mules, $50 to $80; oxen, about $50 per yoke. All kinds of 
butcher's meat are cheap at retail in the home market; and corn usually sells 
for 75 cents to $1 per bushel; flour, $9 to $10 per barrel. Chickens, turkeys, 
and geese are easily raised, and in the winter many kinds of feathered game 
are abundant. The ordinary varieties of fresh-water fish are found in plen- 
tiful supply in the larger streams. 

Victoria is the point of junction of the Gulf, West Texas and Pacific 
and the New York, Texas and Mexican Central Railroads, and is the present 
western terminus, and the location of the machine shops, of the latter road. 
It has a population of something more than 3000, and, under the stimulus of 
these two competing lines, its trade and population are rapidly increasing. It 
has many good churches and schools, and its society is intelligent and refined. 

The scholastic population for the year 1882-83 is 1776, for which free 
schools are organized. There are also in the county the Victoria High 
School, Nazareth Convent, St. Joseph College, a Lutheran high school, and 
a number of other schools of good grade. There are ten church buildings, 
divided between the Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopalian, Baptist, and Ro- 
man Catholic demominations, and the church membership is large, and re- 
ligious services well attended. There is a large and thriving German ele- 
ment in the county. The population is in a high degree peaceable, indus- 
trious, and law-abiding. The county has no debt and levies a tax of 20 
cents on the $100. The city tax is one-fourth of one per cent ad valorem. 
The county is swept by an almost constant gulf breeze; the mean tempera- 
ture in summer is about S5 deg., in winter about 50 deg. The general 
health is very good. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — WALKER COUNTY. 323 



WALKER COUNTY 

Is in north latitude 30 deg. 40 min., and west longitude 95 deg. 30 min., 
and Huntsville, the county seat, is sixty-nine miles northwest of the city of 
Houston, by the line of the Huntsville Tap and the International and Great 
Northern Railway. Area, 868 square miles. 

Population in 1870 9,776 

Population in 1880 (56 per cent colored) 12,024 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,323,890 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 . 1,591,460 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 185,034 

The main topographical features of the county are high, rolling pine and 
post oak woodlands, interspersed with small prairies and traversed by many 
bold, limpid, constant streams, along the margins of which are narrow val- 
leys. The Trinity river flows across the northern part of the county, and a 
grer.t part of its course is marked by wide bottoms, densely studded with 
pin oak, water oak, pecan, gum, elm, and many other kinds of timber, much 
of which is large and valuable. On the edges of the river bottoms in many 
places there are level prairies running back to the hills. The uplands are 
covered with pine, post oak, red oak, hickory, and blackjack, the whole 
area of timbered land comprising about three-fourths of the county. There 
was standing in the county in 1S80, as estimated by the United States For- 
estry Bureau, 1,590,400,000 feet, board measure, of the loblolly pine (pinus 
toe da). 

Trinity river is navigable for from three to nine months in the year, but 
since the extension of railroads into the sections through which it flows, it 
has almost ceased to be used for that purpose. Tributary to it are Nelson 
and Harmon's creeks, both large, bold, perpetual streams. San Jacinto 
creek, also an unfailing stream, and its tributaries, water the southwest por- 
tion of the county, and Winter's bayou and many smaller water-courses 
the southeast part. Water for domestic purposes is supplied by under- 
ground cisterns and wells, the latter being obtained at a moderate depth in 
all parts of the county. There are also a number of bold springs, the wa- 
ters of several of which are very strongly impregnated with sulphur, and 
possess valuable medicinal properties. 

The soil of the timbered uplands is a light sandy on a clay foundation, 
and much of it is inferior and of but little value for farming purposes. 
Many of the prairies are composed of black waxy lime land, with little veg 
etation except grass, and surrounded by heavy pine timber, while others 
have a gray, sandy soil, and a growth of scrubby pines scattered here and 



324 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



there over their surface. On the hillsides, near the streams, the soil is a 
grayish loam, and in the creek bottoms a light, mellow alluvium. The stiff, 
dark, waxy lands of the river bottoms are noted for their fertility, and, al- 
though occasionally subject to overflow, they embrace some of the largest 
and most valuable farms in the county. The black prairie uplands are also 
much esteemed for their depth, richness, and drouth-resisting capacity. Im- 
proved agricultural implements are but little used. The rainfall is abund- 
ant, and as a rule the seasons are regular and the crops, for the most part, 
tolerably uniform. With ordinary cultivation and the usual seasons, the bot- 
tom lands will yield from one-half to one bale of cotton per acre, or 30 to 
50 bushels of corn, but the average yield over the county is about two-fifths 
of a bale of cotton, 25 to 30 bushels of corn, 40 to 50 of oats, 50 to 100 
bushels of Irish potatoes, 150 to 200 of sweet potatoes. 200 to 400 gallons 
of sorghum syrup, 250 to 400 gallons of molasses from ribbon cane; and 
vegetables of all kinds are raised every season in like abundance. Fruit 
culture receives much attention, and peaches, apples, pears, plums, and straw- 
berries, of the choicest varieties and finest quality, are grown, but gener. 
ally only for home consumption. 

Most of the prairie lands have been enclosed for farms, but wild timbered 
land, suitable for purposes of agriculture, can be bought for from $2 to $3, 
and improved tracts for from $4 to $15 per acre. The rental of land in 
cultivation is usually from $3 to $4 per acre, but farms are most generally 
cultivated on shares, for one- fourth of the cotton and one-third of other 
crops. Ordinary rail fencing costs about $100 a mile. No hedges are 
grown. Lumber is worth $10 per thousand feet at the mills. 

The wooded land is generally covered with sedge grass and the river bot- 
tom prairies with mesquite and gamma grass, the two last named being the 
most valuable, as the sedge is cut down by the first severe frost. As a rule, 
range stock are not fed in winter, but they require and should receive more 
or less feed to carry them through the winter in good condition. Most prov- 
ident farmers raise enough for their own use, but stockraising, as a busi- 
ness, is not followed. According to the assessment rolls of 1882, there are 
in the county 3328 horses and mules, 14.252 cattle, 1170 sheep, 183 goats, 
and 6464 hogs. The latter run at large in the forests, requiring only enough 
corn to keep them gentle, and in many seasons are fattened for pork ex- 
clusively on the mast. Some of the more enterprising and intelligent farm 
ers are giving attention to the raising of stock of improved breeds, and theii 
efforts have been highly successful. Work animals and all kinds of food 
supplies can be bought at moderate prices. Domestic fowls of the common 
and improved kinds are raised in large numbers. Deer, quail, and squirrels, 
and in winter ducks, wild geese, and sand-hill cranes, are abundant, and 
many varieties of fresh-water fish are caught in the river, lakes, and larger 
streams. 

There are a number of valuable mill-sites in the county, and at one time 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. WALKER COUNTY. 325 

several water mills wore in operation, but owing to sudden freshets, to pro- 
vide against which no proper precautions were taken, they were abandoned, 
and have been generally superseded by steam. 

The International and Great Northern Railway runs north to south 
through the eastern portion of the county, with a branch line eight miles to 
Huntsville, and five other stations in the county. Huntsville has a popula- 
tion of about 1G00, and the main State penitentiary located within its 
limits. In the penitentiary a large cotton factory, a planing mill, and 
boot and shoe, furniture, and buggy and wagon factories are operated 
by convict labor. The Sam Houston Normal Institute, designed to train 
teachers for the public schools, is also located at this point. This in- 
stitution is supported by the State, but receives also a yearly contribu- 
tion from the Peabody Educational Fund; and board, tuition and books 
are furnished without charge to 155 students, and free tuition to as 
many moz-e as can be accommodated, upon condition that they shall teach 
in the public free schools for the same period as they may receive instruc- 
tion at the Institute. Andrew Female College, an institution of good 
standing, is also located at Huntsville. There are in the county 52 public 
free schools, equally divided between white and colored, and the average 
duration of the school term is five months. Huntsville has long been noted 
for its educational advantages, its cultivated and refined society, and the 
hospitality and intelligence of its citizens. The Roman Catholic, Episcopal, 
Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Christian, colored Baptist, and Methodist 
denominations all have commodious church buildings in the county, and 
the attendance upon religious service is general. 

The county has a bonded debt of $25,000, being the balance of subsidy 
of $35,000 paid to the Huntsville Tap road, and a floating debt of about 
$8000, and levies a tax of 55 cents on the $100 worth of property. The 
general health of the county is almost invariably good. On the river and 
larger water-courses, in summer and fall, malarial sickness prevails more or 
less, but it is usually of a mild type. In 1867, yellow fever was introduced 
and became epidemic at Huntsville, but did not extend to other parts of the 
county. Under the rigid and successful enforcement of quarantine by the 
State and general governments, which has since been established, a return of 
the disease is not considered a cause of reasonable apprehension. The mean 
temperature in summer is about 85 deg., and in winter about 50 deg. Fahr- 
enheit. 



326 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

WALLER COUNTY. 

Hempstead, the county seat of this county, lies 51 miles northwest of 
Houston, by the line of the Houston and Texas Central Railway. Formed 
of parts of Austin and Grimes counties, in 1873. Area, 499 square miles. 

Population in 1880 (64| per cent colored) 9,024 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $1,782,452 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,993,259 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 190,536 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 301,565 

The Brazos river forms the western boundary for a distance of aboat 50 
miles, by the course of the stream, and its broad, alluvial bottoms are stud- 
ded with a heavy forest growth, consisting of pin oak, water oak, red oak, 
ash, black walnut, hackberry, and elm. On the wooded uplands the growth 
is mainly scrubby post oak and blackjack, but in the eastern portion there 
is a considerable area covered with loblolly pine (pinus tceda), the amount 
of which standing May 31, 1S80, as estimated by the United States Census 
Forestry Bureau, was 19,000,000 feet, board measure. Between one-third 
and one-fourth of the area is timbered, the remainder being level or gentlv 
undulating prairie, with but a few swells or depressions. 

The Brazos river, and Clear, Pond, Spring, Iron, and other small creeks, 
afford abundant water for stock. Pure water for domestic purposes is sup- 
plied by wells, which are obtained in all parts of the county at an average 
depth of 4 feet. Cistern water is also used to a limited extent, and is es- 
teemed the more healthful. About one-half the land in the county is sus- 
ceptible of profitable cultivation. The soil of the Brazos bottoms is a deep 
reddish-brown alluvium, that of the post oak uplands a gray sandy, on a clay 
foundation, and that of the prairies a light, or dark sandy loam. The sail 
of the pine forests is thin and poor, and of but little value for farming pur- 
poses. The Brazos bottoms, under favorable conditions, yield from one- 
half to a bale of cotton, and 40 to 60 bushels of corn per acre, but the aver- 
age of production over the county, one year with another, is about half 
these outside figures; and millet, oats, sorghum, potatoes, and all kinds of 
garden products yield in like proportion. Improved agricultural imple- 
ments are advantageously used. The rainfall is almost invariably ample, 
and serious damage from drouths is of exceptional occurrence. Peaches, 
pears, plums, and grapes do well, and strawberries have proved moderately 
successful. Dewberries and blackberries grow in great profusion. Unim- 
proved upland, suitable for farms, is worth from $2 to $3 per acre; bottom 
land, $5. Improved tracts, with necessary farm buildings, are held at from 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — WALLER COUNTY. 327 

$6 to $15, and rent for from $3 to $1 per cultivated acre. There are 
about 45,000 acres of school lauds in the county, which are held at a mini- 
mum price of $1 to $2 per acre, payable in twenty annual payments. The 
pine lands are held at $5, cash. 

The prairie portion of the county is covered with rich grasses, and stock" 
raising, which is generally combined with agriculture, is an important in- 
dustry. Stock usually live on the open range the year round, but in severe 
winter weather, more or less feed is required, and is generally given. The 
number in the county, according to the assessment rolls of 1882, is 4 615 
horses and mules, 17,348 rattle. 1586 sheep, 132 goats, and 4258 hogs. 
Horses, mules, oxen, meat, and all other farm and family supplies, can be 
bought at reasonable prices. Wild ducks and geese are abundant in fall 
and winter, and partridges, quail, rabbits and squirrels are numerous at all 
times. There are considerable numbers of the ordinary varieties of fresh- 
water fish in the rher and creeks. 

There is a cotton seed oil mill, and several planing mills, cotton gins, and 
grist mills, and saw mills, run by steam power, in the county. The Houston 
and Texas Central Railway has about twenty-seven miles of track in the 
county, and three stations. Hempstead. Ilowth, and Waller. The Texas 
Western Railroad runs through the southern part and has two stations, 
Leslie and Patterson. 

Hempstead has about 2000 inhabitants, a handsome court house, four 
churches for the whites (Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and Episcopal,) 
and three for the colored race, a number of handsome private residences, a 
bank, and many substantial business houses, and does a large local trade. 
It is the point of divergence of the branch of the Houston and Texas Cen- 
tral Railway running to the city of Austin, from which place it is distant 
115 miles. Near Hempstead is located Prairie View Normal school, an in- 
stitution supported by the State for the education of colored teachers for 
the public free schools, in which 45 students are furnished board, books, 
and tuition without charge. Hempstead has assumed control of the free 
schools within her limits, in which, for the year 1882-83, 401 pupils are en- 
rolled. Outside of the city there is a scholastic population of 1838, for 
which free schools are ori> n'/.ed for whites and blacks in proportion to 
numbers. There are one or more churches in every community. The 
county has a small floating debt and levies a tax of one-half of one per 
cent, and the city a tax of one-fourth of one per cent ad valorem. 

The county is swept by an almost continual gulf breeze, and with the ex- 
ception of light malarial attacks along the Brazos river, in summer and fall, 
serious sickness is rare. The mean temperature in summer is about 85 deg., 
and in winter about 45 deg. Fahrenheit. 



328 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



WASHINGTON COUNTY 

Is in north latitude 30 deg. 15 min., and west longitude 96 deg. 20 min., 
and Brenham, the county seat, is 72 miles northwest of the city of Houston, 
by the line of the Houston and Texas Central Railway and its Austin 
branch, and 125 miles from the port of Galveston, by the Gulf, Colorado 
and Santa Fe Railway. Area, 603 square miles. 

Population in 1870 23,104 

Population in 1880 (54 per cent colored)* 27,565 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $4,727, 870 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881* 5,758,881 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 6,050,209 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 442,866 

* A portion taken to form Lee county in 1874. 

The Brazos river, which has here a width of channel of about 300 feet, 
forms the eastern boundary of the county. Its entire course is marked 
by broad alluvial bottoms, studded with a heavy growth of pin oak, live 
oak, walnut, ash, pecan, and many other varieties of timber. Yegua creek, 
a sluggish, muddy stream, is the north boundary, and Kuykendall, New 
Years, Mill, Rocky, Jackson, and many smaller streams traverse the county 
and supply, at- all seasons, abundant water. The soil is compact and tena- 
cious, and many tanks are constructed to supply stock water where streams 
are not conveniently at hand. Springs of pure water are found in many 
places, but wells and underground cisterns are most used for supplying wa- 
ter for domestic purposes. Along the range of hills bordering the Yegua 
are a number of springs strongly impregnated with salt and soda. 

The area is about equally divided between prairie and timber lands, the 
timber being heaviest along the streams, and so distributed as to be con- 
venient in all parts of the county. The wooded uplands are covered with 
a dense growth of post oak, blackjack, and hickory, of medium size, and 
valuable for fencing and all ordinary farming purposes. The prairies are 
high and rolling, being in all portions characterized by gentle swells and 
depressions, and occasionally by hills of considerable elevation and narrow 
valleys. Many of the wooded hills are covered with a heavy growth of 
the stately live oak, and in the northern and northeastern parts with cedar, 
the scenery in many portions of the county being exceedingly picturesque. 

The county has long been noted for the fertility of its soil, and its large 
and uniform yield of all the staple agricultural products, and especially of 
corn and cotton. The black waxy lime land, and the gray loam of the 
prairies, the dark sandy or waxy soil of the valleys, and the reddish-brown 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — WASHINGTON COUNTY. 329 

alluvium of the Brazos bottoms are all very productive, and the first and last 
named also possess the capacity of resisting the effects of drouth in an emi- 
nent degree. The gray and yellow sandy uplands, while not so much es- 
teemed for field crops, are well adapted to the products of the orchard and 
the garden. The fertility of the soils of this county and their general adap- 
tation to all the products common to the latitude, is attested by the fact 
that its taxable wealth is greater in proportion to area, than that of any other 
purely agricultural county in the State. It is estimated that four-fifths of 
the area is good farming land, and that one-half is in cultivation in farms 
of the average size of 150 acres. Improved agricultural implements are 
used to only a limited extent. The rainfall is almost invariably ample, and 
damage to crops from drouth is exceptional. The yield of all kinds of farm 
products is equal to that of any part of the State, and agriculture is the lead- 
ing industry. There are many Germans and Bohemians in the county, who 
are generally very thrifty and successful farmers. The yield of fruit and 
vegetables is in proportion to that of field crops, and there are near Bren- 
ham two orchards and nurseries conducted on an extensive scale, which 
ship large quantities of fruit, fruit trees and grape cuttings every season. 
Unimproved land is worth from $3 to $10 per acre; improved tracts from 
$10 to $"25. according to the location and character of the improvements. 
and the latter rents for from $3 to $5 per cultivated acre, or for one-fourth 
of the cotton and one-third of other crops. Lumber is worth $20 per 
thousand feet. Hedges of the bois d'arc have proved measurably success- 
ful, but very little hedging has been done. Fencing costs from $200 to 
$250 a mile. 

Stockraising, as a separate pursuit, is but little followed. The area of 
grazing land is so much reduced by the extension of farms, that stock require 
feed all winter, and only enough is raised for domestic use, and to supply 
the home demand. The number of stock in the county, as assessed in 1882, 
is 8784 horses, 18.183 cattle, 2401 sheep, and 8540 hogs. The rearing of 
stock of improved breeds is receiving much attention, and the native stock- 
is being rapidly graded up. 

The manufacturing interests are represented by an iron foundry, a cot- 
ton seed oil mill, and a planing mill, all located at Brenham, which is the 
point of junction of the western division of the Houston and Texas Central, 
and the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railways. It is a handsomely built, 
thriving city of about 5000 inhabitants, with many substantial business 
houses, ample banking facilities, a cotton compress, an opera house, a num- 
ber of commodious churches, many tasteful private residences, and a large 
and growing trade. It sustains, by a special tax, supplementing the State 
apportionment, an admirably managed system of public schools, which are 
under control of the municipal authorities, and kept open for ten months in 
the year. Chappel Hill, in the eastern part of the county, situated in the 
centre of a prosperous community, has about 700 inhabitants, and is the 



330 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



seat of Soule University and Chappel Hill Female College, both institutions 
of high grade and long standing. Independence, in the eastern part of the 
county, has about 500 inhabitants, and at this point are located Baylor Uni- 
versity, for males, and Baylor Female College. Live Oak Female Semi- 
nary is located at Gay Hill, in the northern part of the county. All the 
above named institutions are in successful operation, under the management 
of efficient teachers, and maintain a high standard of scholarship. The 
scholastic population outside the city of Brenham is 4548, for which pub- 
lic free schools are organized for white and colored children in proportion 
to their respective numbers. Nearly every religious denomination is largely 
represented and has one or more church buildings in the county. 'The pop- 
ulation, as a rule, is intelligent, hospitable, and law abiding, and society is 
distinguished by a high degree of refinement and cultivation. The county 
levies a tax of twenty cents on the SI 00, and has a small floating debt. 

In and near the river bottoms, in summer and fall, chills and fever, usu- 
ally in a mild form, prevail to a greater or less extent, but the constant gulf 
breeze and the general elevation combine to render trie health of the county 
very good. 



WEBB COUNTY 

Lies on the Rio Grande, in north latitude 28 deg., and west longitude 99 
deg. 45 min. Area, 1552 square miles. 

Population in 1870 2,615 

Population in 1 880 (3£ per cent colored) 5,273 

Estimated population in 1882 ' 8,000 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1S70 $418,616 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,223,910 

Assessed value of taxable propeity in 1882 1,962,709 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 332, 145 

The extended, nearly level plains which comprise the larger part of this 
county ascend gradually from the Rio Grande, culminating in rugged hills in 
some places on the northern border, and are traversed by a few small tnu- 
utaries of the Rio Grande. The supply of water for stock and general pur- 
poses is obtained from the Rio Grande and from ponds formed by dams across 
the arroyos, tanks, lakes, wells, and pools in the beds of the smaller streams, 
all of which cease to run in dry weather. About two-fifths of the area is 
covered with a scatte ed growth of small, scrubby mesquite trees, which 
are valuable for fuel, 1 urning readily and with great heat, and for fencing 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. WEBB COUNTY. 331 

and railroad ties, resisting decay to an extent hardly equalled by any other 
species of timber. It also yields, in large quantities, a bean which is much 
esteemed as food for cattle and horses, and also, in lesser degree, for man. 
The sap exuding from the mesquite tree is believed to possess all the 
qualities, both adhesive and medicinal, which give commercial value to 
gum Arabic. The mean annual rainfall, as registered at the station of the 
United States Signal Service at Laredo was, in 1877, 21.39; in 1878, 27.40; 
1879, 21.51; in 18S0, 26.^3; and in 1881, 26.67 inches, the greatest monthly 
precipitation being in February. May, and August of each year. The 
seasons are irregular; irrigation is required for successful farming, and can 
be obtained at many points on the Rio Grande at moderate cost. The por- 
tion of the county adapted to purposes of agriculture is confined to the 
valleys of the Rio Grande and its tributaries, and is estimated to comprise 
about three-tenths of the entire county. The soil of these valleys is gen- 
erally a light, mellow alluvium, which produces a large yield of corn, 
cotton, and vegetables, when the seasons are favorable. There is good 
authority for the statement that cotton is of perennial growth, having been 
known to produce crops from the same stock for seven years. Water- 
melons, muskmelons, and grapes yield in profusion when the rainfall is 
sufficient or irrigation is employed. Only a very small portion of the arable 
land is in cultivation, stockraising engaging the attention of the inhabitants 
to the exclusion of other pursuits, and being carried on principally in large 
enclosed pastures as a distinct and systematic business. Stock require no 
feed, finding ample pasturage at all seasons on the broad prairies. The 
number of stock in the county on January 1, 1882, as shown by the assess- 
ment rolls, was 2642 horses and mules, 3485 cattle, 234,961 sheep, and 
35,504 goats. By reason of the sparsely settled condition of the county 
and the extent of its territory, accurate assessment is extremely difficult, if 
not wholly impracticable, and it is believed the actual number of stock, 
especially cattle and horses and mules, is largely in excess of the figures 
given. All kinds of work animals and meat supplies can be bought at low 
prices. Corn ranges in price from $1.25 to $1.75 per bushel, and flour 
from $10 to $12 per barrel. Deer, turkeys, ducks, peccaries or wild hogs, 
and badgers are numerous. Cat and buffalo fish are moderately plenti- 
ful in the Rio Grande. 

About 24 miles above Laredo are the School land coal mines, and three 
miles further north the San To mas coal mines. These latter mines, only 
recently opened, are being worked by a large force, and considerable quan- 
tities of cannel coal of fine quality is being taken out. The deposit givee 
every indication of being practicably inexhaustible. The School land mines 
have been developed sufficiently to demonstrate that the product is of the 
same quality as that of the San Tomas mines, and that the beds are perhaps 
equally as extensive. Convenient transportation being supplied by the Bio 
Grande and Pecos Railway, which is completed from Laredo to the mines 



332 



RESOUKCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



and a large amount of capital invested in the enterprise, it is believed that 
the most satisfactory results will be realized. 

The International and Great Northern Railway runs through the south- 
ern end of the county to Laredo, the county seat, on the Rio Grande. The 
Corpus Christi, San Diego and Rio Grande Railway has its present western 
terminus at Laredo, which is distant from Corpus Christi 162 miles. 

Laredo is a progressive city, with from 5000 to 6000 inhabitants, and is 
rapidly increasing in population and commercial importance. There is in 
the city a Methodist seminary, a Roman Catholic school, and several private 
schools. There are also four public free schools organized in the county, 
for a scholastic population of 1152, and the schools continue ten months in 
tne year. The disproportion between the number of free schools and the 
scholastic population is owing to the large Mexican element, which is indif- 
ferent to education and adverse to patronizing the free schools. Most of 
the leading religious denominations have church organizations, and church 
conveniences, although at present limited, are rapidly improving. 

The county has no debt, and levies a tax of forty-five cents on the one 
hendred dollars' worth of property. The city levies no tax for the current 
year, and has a balance in cash in the treasury. 

The climate is at all seasons mild and equable. The heat of summer is 
tempered by the prevailing gulf breezes, and cold in winter is never of 
more than a few days duration. The standard of health is high. 



WHARTON COUNTY 

Is separated by the county of Matagorda from the Gulf of Mexico, and 
Wharton, the county seat, is about 93 miles west of the port of Galveston 
by the line of the New York. Texas and Mexican, connecting with the Gull. 
Colorado and Santa Fe Railway. Area, 1172 square miles. 

Population in 1870 3,426 

Population in 1880 (80 per cent colored) 4,549 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $348-, 763 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 845,745 

Assessed value of taxable property in 188*2 1,224,648 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 294,003 

The general surface is, for the most part, a nearly level gulf plain, rising 
gradually towards the north, and marked by a broad belt of timber along 
th»> course of the Colorado river, which flows centrally through the county 
from northwest to southeast. San Bernard river, the northeast boundary 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. WHARTON COUNTY. 333 

line, and its tributaries, Middle and West Bernard, and Teach creeks, water 
the north and northeast portions; East and West Mustang, Porter's, and 
Sandy creeks the northwest and southwest parts; and Blue, Tres Palacios, 
and Jones creeks, and Caney bayou the south and southeastern portion?. 
Along all these streams there is also a growth of timber which, like that on 
the Colorado, consists principally of live oak, pin oak, pecan, ash, elm, and 
hackberry. Well water, by reason of the deep alluvial deposits through 
which it percolates, holds in suspension more or less of organic matter, and 
is not considered healthful, and cistern water is preferred and in general use. 
Comparatively a small part of the area is in cultivation, the lands most 
esteemed for that purpose being the rich alluvial bottom lands of the Colo- 
rado and Bernard rivers and Caney bayou, which are famed for their great 
fertility, producing, under proper cultivation, from two-thirds of a bale to a 
bale of cotton, or from 40 to 60 bushels of corn per acre. Other parts of 
the county are also cultivated to some extent, but the above named lands 
have given to the county the distinction of constituting a part of the limited 
area known as the sugar district of the State. Ribbon cane finds here a 
congenial soil and climate, and considerable sugar and molasses are pro- 
duced. Millet, melons, and vegetables are grown in abundance, and peaches, 
figs, grapes, and plums do very well. Unimproved bottom land is worth 
from $3 to $10 an acre, and improved tracts from $10 to $25, according to 
the character of the improvements. Wild prairie lands are worth from $2 
to $3 an acre. 

A large part of the county is covered with rich, luxuriant grasses, and 
stock are raised with but little trouble or expense, receiving no feed in win- 
ter except that furnished by the native pastures. The assessment rolls of 
1882 show in the county 3335 horses and mules, 21,690 cattle, 549 sheep, 
and 3452 hogs. Work animals and family supplies of all kinds can be 
bought at reasonable prices. Deer, turkeys, prairie chickens, quail, squir- 
rels, ducks, and geese are very abundant, and a black bear often rewards the 
search of the keen sportsman. Fresh-water fish of the ordinary kinds are 
caught in considerable number in the rivers and larger streams. It may 
be truly said that here nature has been bountiful in all her provisions, and 
that enterprise, with reliable labor at command, is all that is needed to de- 
velop the resources of the county. 

The Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway runs across tho 
northern end of the county, and has three stations, Randin. East Bernard, 
and New Philadelphia. The New York, Texas and Mexican Railway runs 
nearly centrally through the county from northeast to southwest. 

The State free school fund is apportioned to a scholastic population of 
673, for which free schools are organized for white and colored cnildren in 
proportion to numbers. Wharton, the county seat, has between 360 and 
500 inhabitants, and is the seat of a good local trade. 

This county, prior to the close of the war between the States (1865), was 



334 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

one of the wealthiest and largest cotton producing counties in Texas, and it 
is believed the extension of railroads across it will tend to rapidly restore it 
to its former condition. The relation of the two races is entirely harmo- 
nious, but the preponderance in .numbers of the colored element has oper- 
ated to retard the development of its natural resources. 

Along the bottoms bordering the streams there is occasionally, in summer 
and fall, more or less sickness of a malarial character, and usually in a mild 
form, but the general health of the county is good, the strong gulf breeze 
that prevails almost constantly in summer, serving at once to modify the 
heat and purify the atmosphere. The winters are generally mild, severe 
cold rarely lasting longer than a few days. 



WHEELER COUNTY 

Lies on the east boundary line of the extreme northwestern portion of 
the State, known as the Panhandle, and is in north latitude 35 deg. 20 min., 
and west longitude 100 deg. 15 min. Organized in 1879. Area, 900 square 
.miles. 

Population in 18S0 (7 per cent colored) 512 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $334,418 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 764,838 

Assessed value of live stock in 1S81 54,709 

Assessed value of livestock in 1882 549,590 

This county forms a part of the high, undulating mesquite and sedge 
grass covered plains, which are the prevailing characteristics of the territory 
comprised in the Panhandle. The North Fork of Red River and Sweetwater 
creek flow from west to southeast through the county. The former ceases 
to run in dry weather, but the latter is fed by springs, and is a bold, clear, 
perpetual stream. There are many fine springs, but water for domestic 
purposes is supplied most generally by wells, which have been obtained, in 
tne comparatively few parts of the county where they have been sunk, at a 
depth of 25 to 40 feet. Along the streams in some places there are broad 
valleys bordered by gently sloping hills of considerable elevation, in others 
by high rocky bluffs, and the plains are occasionally broken into deep ra- 
vines. The course of the streams is marked by a scattered growth of tim- 
ber, principally cottonwood, which is sufficient in size and in quantity to 
justify the erection of a sawmill for manufacturing it into lumber, and this 
has been done. 

ft is estimated that not exceeding 1000 aci-es are in cultivation in the en- 
tire county, the part most used for that purpose being a dark, mellow loam, 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — WHEELER COUNTY. 335 

and the principal crops raised are corn, millet, vegetables, potatoes, and mel- 
ons, all of which have been found to produce moderately well, corn yielding 
about 20 bushels to Lheacre; Irish potatoes, 80; sweet potatoes, 200; millet, 
2^ tons; and melons and vegetables in like proportion. Twenty-five 
bushels of sweet potatoes, some of them weighing as much as six pounds 
each, have been raised in the county from fifteen pounds of seed. Beets 
weighing seven pounds each have also been grown. Irrigation is used in a 
small way for gardening 

Strong presumptive -jvidence of the general attractions of the county 
and the fertility of its sou would seem cc oe turmshed by the fact that some 
years since, when there were large bodies of vacant, and unappropriated 
public domain in many parts of the State, less remote from the centers of 
population and wealth, the International and Great Northern Railroad Com- 
pany located land certificates and became the owner of nearly one-half of 
its area. The alternate sections (640 acres) of this railroad survey are State 
school lands, and are held at from $1 to $2 per acre, according to the water 
supply, payable in twenty annual installments, with 8 per cent interest. 

Stockraising is the almost exclusive pursuit of the inhabitants of the 
county, and large herds of stock feed upon the open range the year round, 
requiring and receiving no other sustenance than the native grass, and no 
attention except that of marking and branding. About one-fourth of the 
grass is mesquite, and the remainder long sedge, which supplement each other 
as winter and summer range. The assessment rolls ( 1882) show in the county, 
1109 horses and mules, and 65,248 cattle, and 1625 sheep. Owing to the 
sparsely settled condition of the county, and the rapid increase of stock, 
naturally and by the introduction of new herds, an accurate assessment 
is difficult, if not impossible, and it is believed the amount of stock is largely 
in excess of these figures. The estimates given in the returns from the 
county place horses and mules at ten times, the cattle at four times, and 
sheep at forty times the number on the above assessment rolls. Work 
horses are worth about $80; saddle ponies, $40; and mules, $100; oxen, $60 
to $70 per yoke. Beef retails at 6 cents per pound; mutton, 6; pork, 8; ba- 
<x>n, 20; corn, $1.75 a bushel; and flour, $0 per hundred pounds. Domestic 
♦fowls are raised in small numbers by every family. There are some deer, 
antelope, turkeys, and ducks, and occasionally a buffalo is found. Fish are 
abundant in only one stream, Wolf creek, in which are many blue cat and 
black bass. 

Mobeetie, the county seat, has about 200 inhabitants, a good free school, 
and a number of general merchandise stores. Religious conveniences are 
meagre, and the population is as yet so scattered that free schools have 
not been thoroughly organized, though the free school fund is apportioned 
to a scholastic population of 104. 

The Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad, recently completed to Wich- 
ita Falls, is projected to pass within 50 to 80 miles west of Mobeetie, and there 



336 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



is reason to believe that railway connection by this line will not be long de- 
layed. The fact that the Denver and New Orleans Railway has recently 
obtained a charter to extend that line from the northwest, to connect with 
the last named road at the Canadian river, in Oldham county, would seem 
to confirm the belief entertained. 

There is only a small amount of wild lands in the hands of individuals, 
for sale at $1 per acre, and no cultivated land for rent. Tracts with small 
improvements are held at $15 per acre. The aggregate tax is 85 cents on 
the $100, and the county has a small floating debt. 

The general elevation is high; the county is exempt from all malarial in- 
fluences, the atmosphere dry, and good health prevails in all seasons. The 
temperature in summer ranges from 70 to 100 deg., and in winter, from 
25 to 70 deg. 



WICHITA COUNTY 

Lies on Red River, in north latitude 34 deg., and west longitude 98 deg. ' 
30 min. Organized in June, 1882. Area, 589 square miles. 

Population in 1880 (4 per cent colored) 433 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $152,382 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 412,031 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 142,055 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882* 69,486 

*This decrease is caused by the fact that at the date of assessment a large part of the stock owned in the 
county was across the Red River, beyond the limits of the State, and also by the further fact that a rait had 
been assessed by the assessor of Clay county previous to the organization of Wichita. 

This county is an extended high, rolling prairie, with the exception of its 
southwestern corner, where it is broken and rugged. The Wichita river 
flows across the southern part, and, together with Beaver, Holliday, Buffalo, 
Gilbert, China, and Tenth Cavalry creeks, supply abundant and convenient 
stock water in all seasons. Pure water for domestic purposes is obtained 
in most parts from wells, which are easily obtained, but springs are nu- 
merous along and near Red River. The timber is confined almost entirely 
to belts along the streams, and consists of a scrubby growth of pecan, ash, 
elm, chittimwood, hackberry, and cottonwood, only a small portion of 
which is suitable for any other purpose than as material for ordinary farm- 
ing implements and for fire wood. 

About one-third of the county is well adapted to agriculture, the soil of 
the arable land being a dark mellow loam in the valleys of the Wichita 
river and the smaller streams, and a stiff, deep, reddish alluvium along Red 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — WICHITA COUNTY. 



337 



River. A very small percentage of the land is in cultivation, and that con 
fined exclusively to the valleys bordering the streams. So far as tested, the 
yield per acre has been of cotton in the seed, 600 to 800 pounds; corn, 25 
to 50 bushels; wheat, 15 to 18; rye, 15 to 20; barley, 50 to GO; oats, 40 to 
60; potatoes, swoct. 175 to 300: Irish, 50 to 60; millet, 1 \ to 3 tons; sor- 
ghum syrup. 75 to 150 gallons; melons and early vegetables are grown suc- 
cessfully. The returns show that millet and melons of all kinds flourish 
in an unusual degree. The estimated mean annual rainfall is about 23 
inches, and the seasons are usually more propitious for fall, winter, and 
spring crops than for those maturing in mid-summer. 

Unimproved lands, in the hands of private parties, is worth from %\ to 
$3 an acre. There is little or no improved land for sale or rent. There are 
about 85,000 acres of school lands in the county, some of which belong to 
the State and some to counties. The former is for sale at a minimum price 
of from $1 to $2 an acre, according to the water supply, payable in 20 an- 
nual installments. The latter for prices and upon terms such as may be 
fixed by the authorities of the counties to which they belong. 

Mesquite and sedge grass are abundant and afford excellent pasturage for 
stock, which receive no winter feed, being raised entirely on the open range. 
The assessment rolls of 1SS2 fix the number of stock in the county at 1527 
horses and mules. 7967 cattle, and 869 sheep. It is known that these fig- 
ures do not accurately represent the stock interests of the county, for the 
reasons above set forth. 

There are strong surface indications of the existence of valuable deposits 
of copper ore in the county, but no mining has as yet been done. There is 
water power of large capacity at "Wichita Falls and other points on the Big: 
Wichita river, but it has been utilized to only a very limited extent. 

Wichita Falls :s the present terminus of the Fort Worth and Denver City 
Railroad, and is 1 M miles northwest of Fort Worth. The road has been ex- 
tended to the county within the current year. The population of the 
town is rapidly increasing, and it gives promise of becoming a place of con- 
siderable importance. The machine and repair shops of the railroad will be 
located at this point, and the valuable water power supplied by the falls, 
from which the town takes its name, is attracting the attention of capital- 
ists. There are three post offices in the county, Wichita Falls, Gilbert, and 
Toksana. There are three free school communities organized in the county 
for the year 1882-83, and about 70 children are in attendance in the public 
schools. There are one Methodist and two Baptist churches organized in 
the county, but church conveniences are at present meagre. The county 
has no debt, and levies a tax of 15 cents on the §100 worth of property 
There are few or no causes of malaria, the natural drainage is good, and the 
county is exceedingly healthy. The population is increasing rapidly, and 
the material, moral, and social interests of the county are exhibiting a cor- 
responding improvement. 
22 



328 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



WILBARGER COUNTY 

Has a north frontage of about 60 miles on Red River, by the course of 
the stream, and is in west longitude, 95 deg. 15 min. Organized in 1881. 
Area, 937 square miles. 

Population in 1880 126 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 $105,261 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 582,283 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 98.582 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 , 176,306 

Pease river, a large stream with m ny tributaries, and "Wanderer's creek 
flow from the southwest across the nor.hern part of the county into Red 
River, and Beaver creek and other streams flow through the southern part, 
emptying into Big Wichita river. Red River is about a half mile in width, 
■and is a perpetual stream, and Pease river is about a quarter of a mile wide, 
but usually ceases to flow in seasons of protracted dry weather, but, like 
most of the other streams in the county, never goes dry, always holding 
an abundance of water in pools in its bed. Much of the water in the streams 
Is impregnated, to a greater or less extent, with salt, gypsum, and lime, 
•and is not palatable; but for domestic use an ample supply is obtained from 
springs, which are numerous, and from wells, which are obtained in most 
parts of the county at an average depth of 20 feet. 

The expanse of high, rolling prairies, which comprise nearly the entire 
area of the county, is broken by low ranges of hills near the streams, and 
along the streams is a thin growth of mesquite, cotton wood, elm, walnut, 
pecan, chittimwood, wild china, willow, hackberry, ash, oak, and cedar, the 
whole surface thus covered amounting probably to one one-hundredth part of 
the county. Cottonwood trees reach a large size, but the residue of the tim- 
ber is generally scrubby, but is all suitable for fuel, and some of it for 
fencing. 

It is estimated that one-tenth of the area is susceptible of profitable culti- 
vation, and that about one-fifteenth of that part is enclosed in farms of an 
average size of 50 acres. The arable land is a deep, rich loam, with a 
large admixture of gypsum. Mo farming was done in the county until 
1880, and then to only a limited extent. In 1881, crops were cut short by 
the drouth which prevailed in all parts of the South. The yield, per acre, 
in 1880, was, of corn, about 15 bushels; molasses, 80 gallons; sweet pota- 
toes, 75 bushels; millet, 1 to 1| tons; and a great abundance of melons, 
and a fair crop of the ordinary kinds of vegetables. Cotton has been tested 
•Lo a sufficient extent to prove that it can be profitably grown, but owing to 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. WILBARGER COUNTY. 339 

the lack of facilities for preparing it for market, has not yet been raised for 
shipment. Pecans, grapes, plums, and mulberries are indigenous, and bear 
heavily in most seasons. Along the entire course of Red River in this 
State, cultivated fruits, wherever they have been planted, have proved 
highly successful, and it is believed this county will be no exception to the 
rule. The mean annual rainfall at the nearest station of the United States 
Signal Service, Fort Griffin, 75 miles south, is 24.57 inches. In this county 
the heaviest rainfall is usually in April, May, and June, and late summer 
crops are sometimes cut short by drouth, but there is usually ample rainfall 
in winter and spring to insure an abundant yield of the cereals and other 
crops maturing in the spring. Fencing is generally constructed of wire, 
and three wires, with posts 33 feet apart, costs about $95 a mile. Pine lum- 
ber is worth from $40 to $60 per thousand feet. 

Wild land, owned by individuals, is worth usually about $1 per acre- 
Nearly the entire county is covered by surveys of the Houston and Texas 
Central Railway, and every alternate section (640 acres) of these surveys 
belongs to the State free school fund, and is for sale at a minimum price of 
from $1 to $2 an acre, according to the water supply, payable in 20 annual 
installments, at 8 per cent interest. 

Mesquite is the principal variety of grass, but red and white gamma and 
sedge grass are also abundant. The mesquite affords good pasturage at all 
seasons, and range stock require and receive no feed. The stock interests 
of the county, according to the assessment rolls of 1882, consist of 676 
horses and mules and 11,953 cattle. It is believed that the actual number 
of stock at present in the county largely exceeds these figures. 

Work horses are worth from $30 to $50; mules, $50 to $100; oxen, $60 
per yoke; beef retails at 8 cents; mutton, 6; pork, 8; bacon 18; corn, $1 
to $1.50 a bushel; and flour, $5 to $6 per hundred. Domestic fowls are 
generally free from disease and do well. Fish and game are in only mod- 
erately abundant supply. 

It is believed that, with the advent of railways, the preparation of gypsum 
as a fertilizer, for shipment to other States and foreign countries, there be- 
ing no demand for fertilizers in this State, and the manufacture of plaster 
of Paris will prove highly profitable, owing to the immense supply of crude 
material at hand. 

The Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad is completed and in operation 
to Wichita Falls, in the adjoining county on th) east, and its extension 
through this county is contemplated at an early day. The free school fund 
is apportioned to a scholastic population of 41, but a public free school has 
not been yet organized. There is one private school of primary grade, with 
an attendance of 20 pupils. There is one church in the county, and the 
Methodist, Baptist, and Quaker denominations each has membership among 
the population, 



340 



KESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



Vernon, the county seat, has about 75 inhabitants and two general mer- 
chandise stores, and Doan's has about 30 inhabitants. 

The county has no debt, and levies a tax of 45 cents on the $100. The 
population, as a rule, is orderly, peaceable, and law-abiding. Such is the gen- 
eral elevation, the freedom from causes of malaria, and the purity of the at- 
mosphere, that the general health in all seasons is very good. 



WILLIAMSON COUNTY 

Is in north latitude 30 deg. 40 min., and west longitude 97deg. 30 min.. 
and Georgetown, the county seat, is 29 miles nearly due north of Austin, 
the capital of the State, by the International and Great Northern Railway 
and its Georgetown branch. Area, 1197 square miles. 

Population in 1870 6,363 

Population in 1880 (10^ per cent colored) 15,155 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $1,839,900 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 4,303,481 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 , 4,849,577 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 1554,842 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 719.747 

The eastern half of the county is high, rolling prairies, with low ranges 
of hills and broad valleys at intervals, and crossed near the extreme south- 
eastern corner by a belt of post oak woodland. The western half is hilly, 
and in some portions mountainous, with broad valleys along the streams, 
and covered over a great part of its surface with a forest growth, consist- 
ing principally of walnut, pecan, post oak, live oak, cedar, box elder, elm, 
hackberry, and wild china. A small proportion of the timber is large, but 
most of it is suitable only for firewood, the cedar being most used for fenc- 
ing. Along all the streams there is more or less timber, the whole wooded 
area being about one-third of the county. 

The Gabriel, North Gabriel, South Gabriel, Brushy, Willis, and Donaho 
creeks and their numerous tributaries, are widely and, for the most part, con. 
veniently distributed over the county. The streams named range in 
length from 20 to 60 miles, and in width of channel from 15 to 60 feet. 
In many places in the county, bold springs are found, and wells are ob- 
tained in nearly every part at a depth of from 20 to 30 feet. In the black 
lime lands, the water of both wells and springs is more or less impregnated 
with lime, and underground cisterns are preferred and in general use. 

On the post oak uplands the soils are a gray or a yellow sandy, on a 
clay foundation; on the upland prairies, a stiff black-waxy lime land, and 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — WILLIAMSON COUNTY. 341 

in the valleys, generally a black, sandy alluvium. The timbered portion 
west of Georgetown is divided between a black and a chocolate-colored 
soil. Two-thirds of the entire county is highly fertile and well adapted to 
cultivation. The best lands produce, in many seasons, from one-half bale 
to a bale of cotton per acre, 40 to GO bushels of corn, 15 to 20 of wheat, or 
GO to 80 of oats, but taking a series of years, the yield over the entire county 
may be safely put at half these outside figures. Millet, barley, potatoes, 
vegetables, and melons, all yield large crops. Peaches, plums, and grapes, 
with proper culture, return a heavy yield, and pecan nuts, dewberries, and 
blackberries are the spontaneous and usually abundant products of the soil. 
The mean annual rainfall is about 32 inches, and with early planting and 
deep and thorough plowing, serious damage to crops from drouth is uncom- 
mon. 

Until within a few years, this was almost exclusively a stock county, and 
farming, owing to the natural f ruitf ulness of the soil, is not yet conducted in 
the systematic and thorough manner which is necessary to obtain the best 
results. Improve 1 agricultural implements are used advantageously and 
to a considerable extent on the prairie farms. Unimproved land in the tim- 
bered portion of the county is worth from 50 cents to $3 per acre, and in 
the prairies, from $3.50 to $10. Improved tracts range in price from $5 
to $15 an acre, and in some instances higher prices are demanded. Culti- 
vated land usually rents for from $2 to $5 an acre, or for one-third the 
grain, and one-fourth the cotton. 

About 60 per cent of the native grass is sedge, and the remainder mes- 
quite, the two kinds supplementing each other to furnish good pasturage 
summer and winter. Ordinarily range stock winter entirely on the natural 
pastures, but the county is being so rapidly enclosed in farms that there is 
scarcely sufficient open range left for large herds of cattle or horses. Sheep 
raising is now the most profitable, though the horse and cattle interests are 
large and important. The assessment rolls of 1882 show in the county 
12,380 horses and mules, 37,900 cattle, 33,930 sheep, 340 goats, and 8291 
hogs. Improved breeds of stock are receiving much attention, and large 
numbers of thoroughbred sheep and cattle have been successfully intro- 
duced. The largest single clip of wool from one sheep exhibited at the In- 
ternational Cotton Exposition at Atlanta, Georgia, in 1881, was the fleece 
of a slieep in this county. It weighed 44 pounds, and the same animal 
yielded for five years an average of 35 pounds and one ounce per annum. 
Sheep are subject to no disease except scab, which is readily cured by a sim 
pie and inexpensive remedy within reach of every sheep-owner. Work 
and riding animals, and meat, corn, and other domestic supplies, can be 
bought in all parts of the county at reasonable rates. Game is not abund- 
ant, but there are deer, turkeys, ducks, geese, quail, prairie chickens, and 
squirrels in considerable quantities. The ordinary varieties of fresh-water 
fish are moderately abundant in the larger streams. 



342 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Iron ore, silver, and petroleum are known to exist, and there are surface 
indications of coal, but the extent of the deposits have not as yet been deter- 
mined. The several Gabriel creeks furnish water power sufficient to run cot- 
ton gins and grist mills. There are several flouring and grist mills, driven 
generally by steam, and a large number of cotton gins run, some by steam, 
but most usually by horse power. 

The International and Great Norther;. Railway runs through the south- 
eastern part of the county, with a branch ten miles long from Round Rock 
to Georgetown; the Missouri Pacific runs through the northeast part, to a 
junction with the International and Great Northern Railway at Taylor; 
and the Austin and Northwestern Railway runs along the southwestern 
border, the aggregate railway mileage in the county being about eighty-four 
miles. 

Georgetown has about 1500 inhabitants, and an annual trade of from 
$400,000 to $500,000. At this point is located the Southwestern Univer- 
sity, an institution conducted under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church South, with male and female departments, and a large attendance 
of students in both. Round Rock has about 900 inhabitants, and Taylor 
about 600 to 800, and both draw a large trade from the prosperous com- 
munities around them. Round Rock College has both a male and female 
department, is conducted by an able faculty, and is well attended. For the 
year 1881-82, 2556 children, within the scholastic age, were enrolled in 72 
free school communities, and for the year 1882-83, 2833, with a corres- 
ponding increase of free schools There are also a number of private 
schools of a high grade in the county. The Roman Catholic, Baptist, Meth- 
odist, Christian, Episcopal, and Northern and Southern Presbyterian denom- 
inations have churches in the county, and religious services are held regu- 
larly, not only in the towns, but in most rural neighborhoods. 

The county levies a tax of twenty cents on the one hundred dollars, and 
has no debt, and about $4000 in the treasury. The order of general intel- 
ligence is high, and the population is conservative, hospitable, and lav- 
abiding. The temperature ranges in summer from 75 to 95 deg., and m 
winter from 30 to 60 deg. Fahrenheit. The greatest cold ever known m 
the county was 4 deg. above zero. The atmosphere is pure and bracing, 
and the general health of the inhabitants is good. 



WILSON COUNTY 

Is in north latitude 29 deg. 10 min., and west longitude 98 deg. Flores- 
ville, the county seat, is about 32 miles southeast of the city of San 
Antonio, and 120 miles northwest of the port of Indianola. Area, 795 
square miles. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. WILSON COUNTY. o I 

Population in 1870 - :,,! 

Population in 1880 (13 per cent colored) 7,118 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $400,836- 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 1,246,347 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,551,624 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 309,466 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 457,586. 

The surface of the county is gently undulating, the highest hills reaching 
an elevation of 700 feet above the sea level. Numerous streams intersect 
the face of the country, winding their way through wide valleys. About 
three-fourths of the area is covered with timber, the sandy land with post 
oak, blackjack, hickory, and live oak, and the black land with mesquite. 
hackberry, elm, live oak, pecan, cottonwood, box elder, sycamore, and wil- 
low. The timber is generally of good quality, that growing on the black 
lands, near the water-courses, being of larger growth than elsewhere. The- 
county is well watered by the San Antonio and Cibolo rivers, and the 
Ecleto, Boreqo, Marcelina, Calaveras, and Sandy creeks. Drinking water, 
in ample supply and of good quality, is obtained from wells at a depth of 
forty feet, or less, and from the streams above mentioned. There are sev- 
eral groups of mineral springs, of chalybeate and sulphur water, some of 
which are highly esteemed for their curative powers, and have long been 
favorite places of local resort. The mean annual rainfall is about 33 
inches, and is distributed most abundantly through the spring, autumn, 
and winter months, and is occasionally too scant to attain uniformly good, 
yields of crops maturing in midsummer. 

The arable lands comprise ninety per cent of the area, and offer a variety 
of soils well suited to the farm, garden, and orchard. These may be 
named in the order of their fertility as follows : First, a rich, black soil, of 
great depth and durability; second, a reddish loam, which, properly 
tilled, is only a little inferior to the first-class; third, a black sandy soil; 
fourth, a whitish, or gray, sandy land, which prevails in the post oak region; 
and fifth, a deep white sand, peculiar to the locality and covered by a growth 
of hickory and blackjack. These soils, in favorable seasons, respond boun- 
tifully to the well-directed labor of the farmer with satisfactory crops of 
cotton, corn, wheat, oats, sorghum, millet, broom-corn, sweet and Irish, 
potatoes, melons, peas, peanuts, onions, and of all of the ordinary kinds of 
vegetables as well. It is estimated that there are about 20,000 acres under 
cultivation, with an average acraage of fifty acres to the farm. The usual 
yield per acre, in ordinary seasons, of the principal crops, is, of cotton, one- 
half to three-fourths of a bale; corn, 25 bushels; wheat 124;; oats, 50; sweet 
potatoes, 200; Irish potatoes, 90; sorghum syrup, 300 to 400 gallons; millet^ 
2-^ tons; aud all the ordinary varieties of garden vegetables, viz., cab 



344 



RESOUKCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



okra, tomatoes, beans, peas, lettuce, onions, eschalots, beets, carrots, 
parsnips,, radishes, mustard, and squashes are produced abundantly. 
Peaches, plums, figs, grapes, and strawberries are generally cultivated and 
thrive well, the large admixture of sand with the soil promoting a 
healthy tree-growth and a yield of good fruit. The mustang, and other 
varieties of grapes, and dewberries, black persimmons, pecans, hickory 
nuts, and walnuts are the spontaneous productions of the soil. 

The price of wild land varies from $2 to $10 per acre, being governed 
by location and quality, but only grazing lands are to be had at the mini- 
mum price given. Much of the best land in the county is yet uncultivated. 
Improved tracts are worth from $5 to $15 per acre, according to the qual- 
ity of the land and the value and extent of the improvements. Lands in 
cultivation are rented at $3 per acre, or for one-third of the corn and one- 
fourth of the cotton crop. When farm laborers are paid in money, the 
usual wages are at the rate of $13 per month. 

The county contains, according to the assessment rolls of 1882, 10,523 
horses and mules, 24,426 cattle, 25,319 sheep, 1362 goats, and 8313 hogs. 
"Work horses are worth about §50; mules, $75; oxen, 850 per yoke. Beef 
retails at 6 cents per pound; mutton, 8; pork, 6; bacon, 12 to 15; corn, 50 
cents a bushel; flour, $5 per 100 pounds. All kinds of barnyard fowls are, 
raised in large numbers, and game and fish are in moderately abundant 
supply. The native grasses are abundant and nutritious, the mesquite 
ranking first in value, and covering forty per cent of the area of the county. 
Besides the mesquite there are the sedge, the burr grass, and the concho 
grass, each being useful for hay as well as grazing. It is estimated that 
there are 125,000 acres of land enclosed for pastures in the county. 

Floresville, the county seat, is a thriving town of 1000 inhabitants, with 
an annual trade of $200,000. The other towns are Stockdale, with a popu- 
lation of 200 souls, and an annual trade of $150,000; LaVernia, with a 
population of 100, and an annual trade of $40,600; and Graytown, with a 
like population, and an annual trade of $10,000. 

There are in the county six saw mills, one broom factory, one pottery, 
fifteen blacksmith, and four shoemaking shops. 

The San Antonio and Cibolo rivers, which flow each for 30 miles through 
the county, offer water power sufficient for a large amount of machinery, 
while the facilities for utilizing it are considered excellent. 

The schools of the county are more than ordinarily well managed. There 
are 32 public free schools, with 1140 enrolled pupils, and an average at- 
tendance of 75 per cent. Besides these there are private schools of high 
grade at Floresville and LaVernia, the citizens of these communities having 
erected commodious and comfortable school buildings, where competent 
teachers are regularly employed. All of the principal religious denomina- 
tions are numerously represented, and church conveniences for the accom- 
modation of the several congregations are very good. The moral tone of 



;, 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — WISE COUNTY. 345 

the people, and their character for good order and obedience to law, will 
bear comparison with that of the best communities of the United States. 

The health of the county is excellent. There are no epidemic diseases, 
and the worst malady known among the inhabitants is intermittent fever, 
generally of an easily controlled type, which prevails to a limited extent 
after seasons of unusual rainfall, and is, for the most part, confined to the 
neighborhood of the streams 



WISE COUNTY 

Is in the second tier of counties south of Red river, and in west longi- 
tude 97 deg. 40 min. Decatur, the county seat, is 35 miles northwest of 
Fort Worth, by the Fort Worth and Denver City Ptailway. Area, 900 
square miles. 

Population in 1870 1,450 

Population in 1881 (1 per cent colored) 16,601 

Population in 1882 (estimated) 20,000 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $378,441 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1881 2,356,658 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 2,980,602 

Assessed value of live stock in 1881 542,414 

Assessed value of live stock in 1882 670,64. r 

The general elevation of the county is about 1850 feet above the sea 
level, and the surface is, for the most part, undulating, but there are con- 
siderable areas of broken and hilly country. The timbered portion, includ- 
ing the belt of woodland known as the Upper Cross-Timbers, which extends 
through the county, nearly north and south, occupies two-thirds of the area, 
and consists of the several varieties of oak, including post, pin, burr, water, 
and red oak, while along the streams that penetrate this woodland region, 
there is usually a large growth of black walnut, pecan, cottonwood, and 
elm, of the several kinds, and in the Cross-Timbers, the low, heavy-topped 
post oak, interspersed with hickory and blackjack. Good water for drinking 
purposes is to be had from springs, which are found in many portions, 
and in wells at a depth of from twenty to forty feet, while the West Fork 
and the Denton Fork of the Trinity river, and their tributaries, furnish an 
abundant supply of running water, well distributed over the county. In 
the southeastern portion are salt springs of considerable volume, from the 
water of which a good article of' salt has been made in quantities to supply 
the home demand. The mean annual rainfall, as registered at the United 



346 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OP 



States Signal Service station at Decatur, is 29.47 inches, and whilst the sea- 
sons are generally more propitious for the cereals and other crops whose 
growing period is in the fall, winter, and early spring, all the staple pro- 
ducts of the State, except sugar cane, are successfully grown. The soil 
of the prairies is the black, tenacious, waxy earth, esteemed alike for itsdur- 
ability, fertility, and its property of resisting the effects of drouth; of the 
valleys a dark, or brownish alluvium; and of the timbered section, a reddish 
or gray sandy land. The first two named soils reach to a great depth and 
yield large crops of all the ordinary products of the country. Corn, wheat, 
barley, oats, and cotton are the chief crops, and the yield per acre of each 
compares favorably with that of the best agricultural counties in North 
Texas. Garden vegetables of all the usual varieties are grown abundantly. 
Wild land, suitable for farms, can be bought for from $3 to $10 per acre, 
and improved tracts range from $10 to $20, according to location, quality, 
and the character of the improvements. The usual rental of cultivated land 
is from $3 to $4 per acre, or for one-fourth of the cotton and one-third of 
other crops. 

The mesquite is the principal native grass, with sedge and some other va- 
rieties intermixed, all of which are nutritious, affording ample grazing for 
stock the year round, and rendering stockraising a remunerative pursuit. 
The county is admirably adapted to maintaining small stocks of sheep, cat- 
tle, or horses in connection with farming. The assessment rolls of 1882 
credit the county with 9492 horses and mules, 49,332 cattle, 7317 sheep, 
988 goats, and 17,380 hogs. The latter run at large in the forests, and re- 
ceive little or no grain until taken up to fatten for pork. 

The Fort Worth and Denver City Railway passes diagonally through the 
county from southeast to northwest, via Decatur, having a length of 35 
miles of road within«,its limits. Decatur, the county seat, has a population 
of about 1500. It is situated on a commanding eminence on the divide be- 
tween the West and the Denton Forks of the Trinity river, and has a large 
and increasing trade. Aurora, a thrifty town of 400 inhabitants, is situated 
fourteen miles southeast of Decatur. Chico, Greenwood, Pella, Audubon, 
Crafton, Paradise, Bridgeport, Willow Point, Boonville, Cottondale, Cac- 
tus Hill, and Gawin are all growing towns, situated respectively in popu- 
lous sections of the county, and each assuming importance as commercial and 
and educational center?. 

Building stone of brown and gray sandstone, and of blue and gray lime- 
stone, exists in great quantities and of superior quality. A coal bed has 
been opened at Bridgeport, and the coal is in use as fuel, and by the black- 
smiths of the county. It is believed that these beds are very extensive, and 
that the lay of the strata, as far as opened, indicates unusual facilities for 
taking out the coal. Scientific inspection and exploration, however, have 
not been called into requisition. 

The school facilities are good. The scholastic population of the county 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — WOOD COUNTY. 



347 



for 1882-83 is 3752, for which public free schools are organized and in 
successful operation. In Decatur, the schools, in which there are 144 pu- 
pils enrolled, are under the control of the town authorities, and are supported 
by a special tax in addition to the pro rata apportionment from the State 
school fund. It may be said that school houses and churches are found in 
every neighborhood in the county, and that all the Protestant religious de- 
nominations are represented by a large and increasing membership. 

The character of the people for law and order is good, and the laws are 
rigidly enforced against offenders. The climate is healthful and the county 
is exempt from epidemic diseases. 

It is proper to state that applications to four officials and eight well in- 
formed and reliable citizens of this county, having failed to elicit full re- 
turns on the printed forms transmitted, it has been found impracticable to 
give a more detailed statement of its resources and its financial and educu- 
tional status. The foregoing account, based on the assessment rolls and on 
information believed to be trustworthy, may be relied on as being substan- 
tially correct. 



WOOD COUNTY 

Lies on the Sabine river, in north latitude 32 deg. 45 min., and west 
longitude 96 deg. 20 min. Mineola, the largest town and chief shipping 
point, is 80 miles east of the city of Dallas, by the Eastern division of the 
Texas and Pacific Railway. Area, 902 square miles. 

Population in 1870 6,894 

Population in 1880 (23 per cent colored) 11,212 

Assessed value of taxable propei'ty in 1870 '$1,062,028 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 . 2,089,298 

Assessed value of live stock in 18S2 201,557 

In its natural features the county is heavily wooded and generally level, 
the surface being undulating only in certain localities of limited extent. 
Except where the land has been cleared for cultivation, the entire area is 
studded with a heavy growth of timber, consisting of red oak, white oak, 
post oak, blackjack, pin oak, hickory, walnut, mulberry, and pine — the 
pineries extending over the eastern part of the county and furnishing large 
supplies of lumber of superior quality. The amount of merchantable short- 
leaf pine [pinus mitis) standing in the county in 1880, as estimated by the 
United States Census Forestry Bureau, was 1,600,000,000 i'eet, board 
measure. 



348 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



The Sabine river, and Caney, Lake Fork, Big Sandy, Glade, Patton's, 
and Stout's creeks, afford running water in abundance to all parts of the 
county. Drinking water, in ample supply and of good quality, is obtained 
from springs, which are numerous, and wells, which are easily obtained at 
almost any desired point. The mean annual rainfall is about 45 inches, and 
is usually distributed with reasonable evenness throughout the year, the 
seasons being, as a rule, propitious for all crops common to the latitude. 

Nearly the entire area is arable, not more than ten per cent, according to 
the best estimates, being unsuitable for cultivation. The soils of the county 
are divided between three kinds, about seventy per cent being a dark loam, 
with a large admixture of sand; twenty per cent a red and a chocolate col- 
ored loam; and the remaining ten per cent bottom land with a stiff, tenacious 
soil and a somewhat flat surface, requiring drainage preparatory to cul- 
tivation. These are all fairly productive, and, under favorable conditions, 
yield from one-third to three-fourths of a bale of cotton to the acre, 25 
bushels of corn, 1G of wheat, 35 of oats, 18 of rye, 16 of barley, 200 of 
sweet potatoes, 500 gallons of molasses from ribbon cane, or 100 gallons of 
sorghum syrup. Peas, peanuts, and millet all grow and yield abundant 
crops, and garden vegetables, of every kind suitable to the climate, yield 
equally well. Of cultivated fruits, peaches, apples, plums, figs, and grapes 
are grown successfully; and of the wild fruits there are dewberries, black 
berries, iuid several fine varieties of grapes; and of nuts, hickory and 
walnuts. About ten per cent of the area is in cultivation. "Wild land, 
suitable for farms, is sold at from $2 to $3.50 per acre, and tracts with part 
in cultivation are held at from $5 to $15 per acre, including ordinary im- 
provements. Improved land rents for from $2 to $4 per cultivated acre, or 
for one-fourth of the cotton and one-third of other crops. "When cash 
wages are paid, laborers receive $12.50 to $16 per month, with board. 

The assessment rolls of 1882 credit the county with 9991 cattle, 3240 
horses and mules, 683 sheep, and 13,287 hogs. This is not, strictly speak- 
ing, a stbckraising county, but the native grasses are nutritious, and stock, 
with the run of the fields after the crop is gathered, keep in fair condition 
through the winter with but little or no feed. Work horses, mules, and 
oxen ai-e cheap, and supplies of all kinds can be had at reasonable prices. 

The eastern division of the Texas and Pacific Railway passes through the 
county from east to west for a distance of 30 miles, and has five stations, 
viz: Hawkins, Graham, Lake Fork, Mineola, and Macks; the Missouri 
Pacific Railway for 12 miles, with two stations, viz: Mineola and Alba; 
the International and Great Northern for five miles; and the East Line and 
Red River Railway for seven miles, and has one station, Winnsboro. The 
town of Mineola has about 2000 inhabitants, and ships annually about 
20,000 bales of cotton; Winnsboro, with about 1000 inhabitants, ships 
about 12,000 bales; while Hawkins and "Webster, each with a population of 
about 500, and Quiiman, the county seat, with 200, are growing towns with 
increasing trade. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — YOUNG COUNTY. 



549 



There are many never-failing streams in the county, which afford water 
power of limited capacity. There is one wagon factory, on a small scale, 
six flouring and grist mills, and fifteen saw mills. Of these establishments, 
seven or eight are operated by water power, and there is room for many 
more. Coal and iron are found, but no test has been made as to the quan- 
tity or quality of either of these minerals. 

School facilities in the county generally are good, and in Mineola are 
especially so. For a scholastic population of 1990, there are 49 organized 
public free schools, with an average daily attendance of 70 per cent of en- 
rolled pupils. There are also six private schools of high grade in the sev- 
eral towns. The town of Mineola levies a tax of fifty cents on the one 
hundred dollars' worth of property, in addition to the amount apportioned 
from the State school fund, in support of her schools, and a large and hand- 
some building is in course of erection. The religious interests are repre- 
sented by the Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Christian, Roman Catholic, 
and Hebrew denominations, each of which has a numerous membership, and 
there are church edifices in every community. 

The county levies a tax of twenty cents on the one hundred dollars, and 
has no debt, and a cash balance in the treasury. The moral tone of the 
people is good, and they are characterized by general intelligence and hospi- 
tality. The climate is mild and equable, and with the exception of such 
diseases as are more or less common to all localities in the same latitude, the 
official returns show that the county is generally healthy. 



YOUNG COUNTY 

Is is north latitude 33 deg. 10 min., and west longitude 98 rteg. 40 min. 
Graham, the county seat, is about forty miles north of the nearest station 
on the Texas and Pacific Railway. Area, 900 square mile?. 

Population in 1870 135 

Population in 1880 (17 colored) 4,726 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $ 12,251 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 1,498,880 

Assessed value of live stock in 1S82 380,892 

The generally rolling surface is broken by the Belknap hills, a range of 
highlands near the center of the county, by Tackett Mountain in the south- 
west, and by Flat-top Mountain in the north. About one-half the area is 
more or less densely covered with timber, the low, heavy-topped post oak 
being the principal kind on the uplands; and on the bottoms elm, pecan, 
and hackborry, all inclined to be of short growth. The county is abun- 



350 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



dantly watered by the Salt Fork of the Brazos river which flows diagonally 
from north to south through the center, a distance, by the very tortuous 
course of the channel, of about 60 miles within its limits; the Clear Fork of 
the Brazos, and Salt, Rabbit. Skids, Rock, Flat Rock, Conner's, and Cave 
creeks, and many other smaller streams. Drinking water of good quality 
is supplied, for the most part, by springs, which are found in many portions, 
and by wells varying in depth from twenty to one hundred feet. The 
mean annual rainfall for the past seven years, as registered at the United 
btates Signal Service station at Jackeboro, in the adjoining county east, was 
26.20 inches, and the prec : pitation was most abundant in May, June, and 
July of each of these years. 

The chief interest in the county is live stock. It contains, according to 
to the assessment rolls of 1882, 30,720 cattle, 4489 horses and mules, 9495 
sheep, 406 goats, and 5615 hogs. These are raised on the range without 
winter feed, the native grass and the mast being sufficient to maintain them 
in good condition throughout the year. Here, as in most of the north- 
western counties, the mesquite grass prevails, and is esteemed the most 
valuable, as it is not only the most hardy of the native grasses, but fur- 
nishes both summer and winter grazing. Intermixed with some minor 
varieties in this county, it affords excellent pasturage and renders stock- 
raising a profitable industry. 

While, however, stockraising is the principal pursuit at present, a large 
proportion of the area of the county, rather more than one-half, is arable. 
The soil on the bottoms of the Brazos river is a deep, reddish or dark 
brown alluvium, easily worked and very fertile; that in the timber a red- 
dish sandy land, also of fairly good quality; while that found on the 
mesquite prairies and valleys is a strong, black, lime soil, only requiring 
proper tillage and favorable seasons to render it very productive. So little 
has been done in agriculture — less than three per cent of the area being in 
cultivation — that no trustworthy estimate can be given of the average 
yield of crops. But with early planting and deep and thorough plowing, 
reasonably fair crops of the principal staple products have been grown. 
The returns indicate that the soil and climate are especially adapted to the 
hard, write wheat known as Nicaragua wheat. It is claimed that, with 
proper management, it proves a sure and abundant crop, and that all 
that is required to bring it into general favor for shipment, as well as for 
home consumption, is suitable mills, which can be constructed at a small 
advance in cost over those now in use. Garden vegetables of all the usual 
varieties can be raised in moderate abundance by the exercise of proper 
care and attention. Peaches and apples are successfully grown, and the 
soil is well adapted to many other fruits. Wild grapes flourish. The price 
of wild land is from $1 to $3 per acre; of tracts with a portion in cultiva- 
tion, from $3 to $8; and the rental value of land, per cultivated acre, with 



texa: BY COUNTIES.— ZAPATA COUNTY. 351 

houses for tenants, is §2 to $1. If cash wages are paid for labor, the price 
per month is $12 for farm hands, and an average of $25 for stock hands. 

The towns of the county are Belknap, Graham, Farmer, and Eliasvillr. 
Graham, the county seat, and also the seat of the United States District 
Court for the northwestern district, is a growing town of about 700 inhab- 
itants, and a considerable trade. Its citizens are characterized by a high 
order of intelligence and social refinement. 

The Clear Fork of the Brazos, flowing for twenty miles in the county, 
affords fine water power. The county is fairly well supplied with flouring 
and grist mills. 

Public free schools are organized and in operation for a scholastic popu- 
lation of 671. There are, besides, many good private schools. All the 
principal religious denominations are found in the county, and the, Metho- 
dist and Presbyterian are provided with church buildings at Graham. The 
moral tone of the people is good. The county levies a tax of thirty-five 
cents on the one hundred dollars, and has a small floating debt. 

The general elevation of the surface, the dry atmosphere, and the good 
natural drainage render the county free from the usual causes of malaria, 
and the prevailing condition is that of good health, 



ZAPATA COUNTY 

Lies on the Rio Grande, in north latitude 27 deg., and west longitude 99 
deg. 10 min. Area, 1291 square miles. 

Population in 1870 1 488 

Population in 1880 (1G colored, and 90 per cent Mexican) 3,636 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1870 $217,032 

Assessed value of taxable property in 1882 745,240 

Assessed value of live stock in 1S82 238,245 

In its topography the county presents no very striking features, the sur- 
face being an extended, nearly level plain, rising almost imperceptibly from 
the Rio Grande valley northeastward, and covered at intervals, to the extent 
of one-third of its area, with a scattered growth of mesquite trees. Along the 
Rio Grande, its only water course, there are occasional skirts of timber, 
from one-half to two miles long, composed of mesquite, Brazil wood, ebony, 
ash, willow, huisachi, hackberry, and unodegato. or cat's-claw. Many 
mesquite and ebony trees are found of unusual size, some of them measur- 
ing from one to one and a half feet in diameter. The Rio Grande furnishes 
the population along its banks with water for drinking and domestic pur- 
poses, for live stock, and for the irrigation of its fertile valley lands. In 



352 



RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 



the interior the people rely upon wells, cisterns, artificial tanks, and ponds 
made by dams across the arroyos. Wells of pure water are obtained, in 
many places, at a depth of a few feet. The mean annual rainfall, as regis- 
tered at the United States Signal Service station at Laredo, in the adjoining 
county, for the past five years, was 24.16 inches, and the most abundant 
precipitation occured in August, May, and February and the least abundant 
in November, December, and April of each of those years, in the order 
named. 

The leading interest in the county is live stock. There are within its 
limits, as assessed in 1882, 87,325 sheep, 11,655 goats, 6697 horses and 
mules, and 7318 cattle. The native grasses are the gamma, mesquite, and 
what is locally known as wild oats. These form a pasturage of great 
abundance and rich quality during the entire year. All kinds of live stock 
are raised upon the range, without the aid of winter feed, and sustain 
themselves, generally in excellent condition, at all seasons. No diseases 
prevail among them to any serious extent, and they receive no care except 
the providing of watering places, herding, and the annual marking and 
branding. 

About one-third of the area of the county is arable. The soil of the Rio 
Grande valley is alluvial, very easily reduced to cultivation, and, with irri- 
gation or favorable seasons, produces abundantly. Elsewhere in the 
county, the soil of arable quality is a light or dark loam, with a large admix- 
ture of sand. Corn is the principal crop, and of this about thirty bushels 
to the acre is an average yield. Irrigation is necessary, however, to insure 
certainty and regularity in the products of these fine lands, and with the 
facilites offered by the abundance of permanent flowing water in the 
great river above mentioned, the time must come when they will be ren- 
dered very valuable by the introduction and general adoption of this sys- 
tem of culture. The sort of the river bottoms here is in all respects very 
similar to that found in Cameron county, and the latitude being nearly the 
same, it is believed that the ribbon sugar cane could be grown with equal 
success. The last named county, according to the United States Census 
Bulletin, on sugar production, produced in 1879 an average of 1625 pounds 
of sugar and 83 gallons of molasses to the acre, being a larger yield than 
that of any other county in the State. Up to this time only a very small 
fraction of the area of the county has been put in cultivation, agriculture 
being regarded as of secondary importance. Few farm laborers are em- 
ployed, but when required, are paid at the rate of 50 cents per day, or $10 
per month, with board. 

The Corpus Christi and Rio Grande Railway passes through Encinal and 
Webb, the adjoining counties on the north, the nearest station being about 
fifty miles from Carrizo, the county seat. 

^he principal towns in the county are Carrizo, on the Rio Grande, with 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. CROCKETT COUNTY. 353 

a population of 100; San Bartolo, and Bendado, each with a like number, 
and San Ignacio, with a population of 1000. 

Coal and iron are reported as having been discovered, but no mining haa 
beeo done, and the quality of these minerals and the extent to which they 
exist is unknown. 

There are three public free schools organized in the county, for a scho- 
lastic population 612, and the attendance is a very small per centage of the 
enrolled pupils. The Roman Catholic is the principal religious denomina- 
tion. There are few church buildings. The county levies general and 
special taxes aggregating 70 cents on the $100, and has a small floating 
debt. The climate is equable and salubrious, and the health of the people 
excellent. The breezes from off the gulf, unobstructed by forests, pre van 
with brief interruptions by the sharp and sudden northers, throughout the 
year, robbing summer of its sultriness and winter of whatever of cold it 
may chance to import into this semi-tropical clime. 



UNORGANIZED COUNTIES. 



SOUTH OF THE THIRTY-SECOND PARALLEL OF NORTH 

LATITUDE. 

Crockett County lies between 29 deg. 40 min. and 31 deg. 10 min. 
north latitude, and the meridians of west longitude 100 deg. and 102 deg. 
20 min., and is bounded by the Rio Grande and the Pecos river on the west 
and southwest. Area, 10,029 square miles. Population in 1SS0, 129. No 
returns of assessments received. 

It has been found impracticable to obtain anything more than a very 
general outline of the leading features of this county. But, from the ac- 
counts received, it is learned that the surface is, for the most part, an 
elevated table-land, very generally covered with luxuriant grasses, and 
scantily supplied with timber, which is confined, for the most part, to nar- 
row belts along the streams. In many portions the water resources are 
abundant, and especially in a range of sand hills of considerable width, 
extending across the county in a southwesterly direction to the Pecos river. 
In these sand hills are found many bold springs and lakes, notably Cedar 
springs No. 1, Cedar springs No. 2, Willow springs, Pecan spring, Kick, 
apoo spring, and Beaver and Kendall lakes. The two first named springs 
are the sources of Howard's creek, a large and perpetual stream flowing 
southward to the Pecos river, and on which is a celebrated well, known as 
Howard's well. The reader is referred to the sketches of Kinney and Tom 
Green counties (pages 177 and 302, respectively, of this volume) as, in the 
main, applicable to this county. 
23 



354 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

Edwards County lies about 100 miles northwest of the city of San An to 
nio. Area, 966 square miles. Attached to Kerr county for judicial purposes 
Population in 1880, 206. No assessment of taxaole property. The county 
is generally an extended, high, rolling prairie, broken m the southern part 
by ranges of low, rugged, rocky hills between tne valleys of the smaller 
streams, which constitute the headwaters of the Nueces river. On the boi 
ders of these valleys are large bodies of mountain cedar, and in the valleys 
a scattered growth of pecan, live oak, post oak. white oak. and hackberry, 
about one-fifth the area being covered with timber of medium size. Wild 
grapes, wild cherries, and pecans are found m abundance in these valleys. 
The county is watered by the East and Middle Forks of the Nueces, the 
West Pork of the Frio, and the South Prong ot the Llano rivers, and by 
Cedar, Bull's Head, and Hackberry creeks. The East fc'orK of the Nueces 
river flows a distance of about thirty miles within its limits, and has an 
average width of channel of 30 feet, and both it and Bull's Read creek 
are bold, constantly running streams. There are a large numoer or springs 
of cold, pure water, and wells are obtained at oeptns ranging from 15 to 30 
feet. The county is covered with a luxuriant growtn of mesquite grass, which 
affords fine pasturage, winter and summer, ana stock keep sufficiently tat 
for market the year round. The Mexican Pacific extension of the Galves- 
ton, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway, recently completed, runs nearly 
parallel with, and within 25 miles of, the soutnern oounaary line of the 
county. In the absence of full returns, the reader is referred to the sketch 
(page 316 of this volume) of the organized county of Uvalde, the adjoining 
county on the south, as, in the main, descriptive of the general features or 
this county. 

Encinal County. — Aguilares, the most central station in the county, is 
131 miles west of the port of Corpus Christi, by the line of the Laredo di- 
vision of the Texas Mexican Railway. Area, 1788 square miles. Popula- 
tion in 1870, 427; in 1880, 1902. No assessment in 1870. In 1881, the 
assessed value of taxable property was $331,520; in 1882, $471,490; of 
live stock in 1881, $178,280; in 1 8S2, $317,089. The county is attached 
to Webb county for judicial purposes. 

A number of streams of considerable size have their sources in the county, 
•which, at this point, forms the divide between the Rio Grande and the 
Nueces river, and the water supply is unusually abundant,Jand conveniently 
distributed. Along these streams are found narrow belts of small scrubby 
timber, consisting of pecan, live oak, hackberry, and elm. The surface in 
some portions is more or less broken, but is generally composed of rolling 
prairies, carpeted with rich and perennial grasses. The adaptation of the 
county to stockraising, and especially to wool growing, is made manifest by 
the assessment rolls of 1882, which make the following exhibit, viz: 197,776 
sheep, 30,660 goats, 4451 horses and mules, 3604 cattle, and 56 hogs. In 
many of its features, the county is believed to be very similar to the organ- 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — THE PANHANDLE. 355 

ized county of Duval, for a description of which the reader is referred to 
page 87 of this volume. 

Zavalla County is separated from the Rio Grande by the county of 
Maverick, to which it is attached for judicial purposes. Area, 1290 square 
miles. Population in 1870, 133; in 18S0, 410. No assessment rolls have 
been returned, and the repeated and persistent efforts made to obtain sta- 
tistical information regarding this county having been fruitless, a descrip- 
tion of its general features cannot be given. But it will be seen on exami- 
nation of the map accompanying this volume that it lies on the same streams 
which flow through Uvalde, the adjoining county on the north. This fact, 
coupled with representations made by persons more or less familiar with 
both counties, induces the belief that the sketch of Uvalde (page 310) may 
be taken as embodvini' the leading characteristics of Zavalla. 



UNORGANIZED COUNTIES NORTH OF THE THIRTY-SECOND 
PARALLEL OF NORTH LATITUDE. 

In the section of the State, known as the Panhandle, lying between Nev. 
Mexico and the ninety-ninth meridian of west longitude, and north of the thir- 
ty-second parallel of north latitude, there is an area of 52,938 square miles, sub- 
divided into 52 counties, which are as yet unorganized. A descriptive and 
statistical outline of the 13 organized counties included within the above de- 
fined limits wdl be found in their regular alphabetical order in the preceding 
pages of this volume. This extended area, in its soils, forest growth, water 
supply, and most striking topographical features, presents two grand divi 
sions, each possessing a marked uniformity of character, but differing more 
or less widely from the other, namely, the elevated table-land, known as the 
Llano Estacado or Staked Plain, and the lower and more diversified plain 
surrounding the former on three sides. On the map accompanying this 
volume, is laid down what will be taken for a range of mountains, entering 
the State in Deaf Smith county, in north latitude 35 deg., and running 
eastward in a zigzag course through parts of the counties of Oldham, Ran- 
dall, Armstrong, Briscoe, Swisher, Floyd, Motley, and Dickens, and thence 
turning westward, through Crosby. Lubbock, Lamb, Garza, Borden, Daw. 
son, and Martin, ends at the north line of the county of Tom Green. This 
range is, in fact, a ledge of precipitous rocky bluffs, constituting the bcun 
daries of the great Llano Estacado or Staked Plain, which stretches down 
from the Rocky Mountains. All the territory included between this range 
and the western line of the State is a part of this elevated plateau, and would 
seem from its abrupt and rugged outlines to have been lifted up from the 
Eurrounding plain by some great convulsion of nature. These rocky bluffs 
are from 30 to 150 feet, and often of much greater, elevation above the 



350 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

plain below, and, at a distance, have the appearance of a range of flat-topped 
mountains. The many arroyos and smaller water-courses having their 
sources in this ledge of rocks have, in the course of ages, worn into and in- 
-dented its sides with a succession of projecting and re-entering angles. 
Prom the top of these bluffs stretches out an undulating treeless plain, car- 
peted with a variety of rich grasses, and traversed by long and gentle 
swells and depressions, somewhat resembling those of the sea when settling 
down after a storm. This uniformity of surface, however, is broken at 
intervals by deeper depressions called "draws," having a richer soil and 
more luxuriant grasses, and these, when followed up, lead to water in the 
streams making their way to the plains below. Extending far back into 
the Staked Plain there are also a number of wide, level, deep and fertile 
valleys or canyons, hemmed '.a on either side by rocky bluffs. Some of 
these are of great extent, notably Goodnight's canyon, a level valley from 
4 to 1 5 miles wide, and reaching back more than 60 miles into the plain. 
In some of the canyons are found considerable bodies of cedar, and in the 
gulches, in spots which have escaped the prairie fires for a few years, a 
growth of small hackberry and mesquite trees, and along many of the 
streams, of low cottonwood, some of the trees measuring as much as two 
feet in diameter. In the block of counties including Cochran, Yoakum, 
Terry, Gaines, Dawson, and Andrews the general features of the plain 
above described are further diversified by large areas of deep sand, appar- 
ently sterile, but coated more or less thickly with some of the coarser grasses. 
With this exception, the soils of the plain are divided between a mellow, 
dark, chocolate loam, a red clayey loam, and a reddish sandy land, all of 
which have been cultivated in a small way at the cattle ranches scattered 
over the plain, and found to be fairly productive. Until within the past 
few years very little was known in regard to this vast region, except through 
vague second-hand accounts, coming from uninformed sources, and now 
found to be, in the main, misleading. But in 1879 a commissioner of 
known capacity and integrity was appointed by the State to select and sur- 
vey, in the section under discussion, the 3,000,000 acres of land set apart 
for the erection of a State Capitol. In the survey made by him are em- 
braced parts of the following counties, viz: Two-thirds of Dallam, one-half 
of Hartley, three-fourths of Oldham, one-half of Deaf Smith, the whole of 
Parmer, one-fifth of Castro, one-eighth of Bailey, and one-half of Lamb. It 
will be seen that a large portion of the Capitol Reservation was located on 
the Staked Plain, and of the entire survey of 688 4-5 leagues (4428 acres 
each), Col. N. L. Norton, the Commissioner, in his report, made under 
oath, says : 

"The lands, thus enhanced in standard quality by the above subtraction 
of more than 50,000 acres (meaning the fourteen leagues rejected from the 
survey) deemed least valuable, will, it is believed, compare favorably in 
natural fertility with any upland prairie of similar territorial extent in the 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES. — THE PANHANDLE. 357 

Southwest. The northern half of Dallam, included in this survey, with 
small exceptions, is richly coated with mesquite and gamma grasses; thence 
southward, with a mixture of these and larger varieties, to-wit: sedge, 
bunch, and blue stem. The northern and western portions of Hartley con- 
sist mainly of light sandy loam, yielding abundant crops of the coarser 
grasses, and is principally adapted to grazing. The lands, however, in this 
county lying on the waters tributary to the Canadian river — as are almost all 
those in Oldham county — are more clayey, and are superior grazing soils, 
besides much of it being susceptible of cultivation. Save a very small per- 
centage, the country covered by these surveys in Deaf Smith, Parmer, 
Castro, Bailey, Lamb, and Hockley, seems to possess the elements of wheat- 
bearing soil in a high degree. No feature of this extensive region is more 
remarkable than its uniformity in both appearance and quality. Though 
there are no running creeks and few living springs on the (Staked) Plain 
proper, yet the surface, in all sections, is indented with deep natural basins j 
in some of which the rainfall is held through a greater portion of the year, 
thus evincing the capacity of the soil for the successful construction of arti- 
ficial ponds." In a tabulated statement accompanying the report, in which 
is given the number of each league selected, with the character of its soil, 
topography, water, etc., it is shown that more than two-thirds of the whole 
area surveyed is good agricultural land ; that upon many of the leagues is 
permanent water, and upon many others water stands in pools and natural 
basins for much of the year; and that far the larger part of the area is car- 
peted with blue stem, sedge, bunch, and mesquite grasses. The report of 
the Commissioner further shows that on many of the leagues in Dallam, 
Hartley, and Oldham there is along the streams a considerable growth of 
cottonwood, many brakes of valuable cedar timber, much fine building 
stone, and, on the streams tributary to the Canadian river, large deposits 
of gypsum. It is also shown that belts, more or less wide, of deep sand, 
and ranges of low sand-hills were crossed, one of these belts passing 
through Bailey and Lamb counties, about seven miles in breadth, having 
been rejected from the survey. 

During the present year (1882) the same lands, and portions of the other 
counties herein described, were critically examined by Mr. "William Starke 
Mabry, the county surveyor of Oldham county, a gentleman well known to 
the compiler of this work, and whose statements are accepted with the full- 
est confidence. In his report, now on file in this office, it is shown that the 
examination extended through thirty-six days; that the distance traveled 
was 855 miles, the party consisting of ten persons, and accompanied by one 
6ix, one four, and one two-mule team, besides saddle-horses; and that during 
the trip, extending from March 23 to April 27, inclusive, an ample supply 
of pure water for man and beast was found at all times, either in springs, 
wells, lakes, or running streams. It is proper to state, however, that the latter 
was confined to that portion of the lands not included in the Staked Plain 



358 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE OF 

in which, however, there were found lakes of large size, one of which was more 
than seven miles in circumference, and another, the size of which was not ascer- 
tained, but which had, in the language of the report, "the appearance of 
an inland gulf," bordered by precipitous rocky bluffs. It is also stated that 
in one or more instances where surface water was not found in sufficient 
quantities, the party obtained an abundant supply by sinking wells a few 
feet below the surface. Mr. Mabry also says: " In our examination of these 
lands from Dallam to the southeast portion of Hockley county, comprising 
all the counties in which the Capitol lands are situated, except the county 
of Castro, which our trip did not embrace (I believe that Colonel Norton? 
Wie State Commissioner, has given a fair and conscientious description of 
these lands in his report), we saw no lands but what could be classed as 
either grazing or agricultural lands. Our trip continued about thirty-six 
days, during which time we made only one "dry camp,'' and this on account 
of being misinformed, and the following morning we obtained water in four 
miles, from a well on Carrizo creek." At the cattle ranches, of which there 
are a number on the plain, are found wells of pure water. At Cox's Col- 
ony, in Blanco canyon, in Crosby county, a settlement composed of some 
ten families, good water for all purposes is obtained from wells at from 50 
to 80 feet deep, and four wells have recently been sunk, under the direction 
of Mr. Mabry, two in Deaf Smith, and two in Parmer county, to depths 
ranging from 15 to 46 feet, with the result of securing unfailing water of 
good quality, that in the 15-foot well standing four feet deep. 

From statements received at this office, from parties believed to be trust- 
worthy, the following extracts are given: William Hunt, M. D., writing 
from Cox's Colony, under date of Estacado, Crosby county, Texas, April 
27, 1882, says. 

"I visited the Colony in August and September, 1880. The first crops 
ever planted in the Staked Plain were then growing and maturing, all 
planted on sod broken the winter previous. The season was favorable, 
having had plenty of rain. Corn, oats, millet, broom -corn, sorghum all did 
well. I never saw a better sod crop (first year's crop on wild land) in my 
ten years observation in Kansas, and larger and nicer melons, cushaws and 
pumpkins, I never saw anywhere. Irish potatoes did moderatel}' well, sweet 
potatoes were excellent; all garden vegetables did well to their chance, be- 
ing planted in sod. I arrived here (on my second visit) the fifteenth of June 
last; the season was not so favorable; corn was light, fall wheat, spring oats, 
millet, sorghum, rice, broom-corn, melons, and sweet potatoes all made a 
fair crop where they had a fair chance. Irish potatoes, and garden vege- 
tables generally, were nearly a failure on account of drouth* and bugs. So 
I am prepared to make the following statement, viz: The fertility of the 
soil and its capability of producing all kinds of grain and vegetables is 
established beyond all doubt. Second, the rich grazing qualities of the 

*In 1881 a protracted drouth extended over all portions of the Southern States. 



TEXAS BY COUNTIES.- THE PANHANDLE. 359 

grasses is also beyond question. Cattle, sheep, and horses live through the 
winter without other feed, and get very fat in the summer. In wet seasons 
the surface lakes furnish abundant water for stock; in dry seasons it is only 
found in the canyons and deep lakes. Water is found here in abundance 
in wells at from 50 to 80 feet deep; further west they do not have to dig so 
deep. Y/hat I say of one portion of the Staked Plain is true of all, as they 
are nearly uniform. The climate is above the malarial line and is very 
healthy." 

G. W. Singer, writing from the same place, says: "First, it is a healthy 
country — no malarial fevers here. The land is good, is of a chocolate color, 
and is adapted for a farming or grazing country. The soil is from one 
to four feet deep. The plains, so far as I have traveled them, lay 
very nice and rolling, there being a pool or basin on nearly every 
section (G40 acres) of land. These pools or basins cover from two to 
twenty acres of ground, and hold water for a long time. Egyptian 
or rice corn is our principal corn crop, and is adapted to this country- 
We need to feed but little to our work stock here, for we can graze them all 
winter. There are now ten families in our colony, and we expect as many 
more this fall. This (Cox's) colony is situated on the Staked Plain." 

i.. W. Arrington, Captain commanding Company "C," Frontier Bat- 
talion, Texas State troops, writing from Blanco canyon, Crosby county ) 
says: "In my capacity as a Ranger, during the last three years, I have 
passed over the Capitol land reservation frequently, and have always found 
the finest of grass. I am fully satisfied that water can be got by digging at 
any point. The colony in Lubbock county have two good wells. The sur- 
face of the plains is not level, as supposed by a great many, but rolling, with 
long ridges and valleys, the ascent being so gradual that it is not noticed. 
There are many locations on the plains that I consider fine for sheep ranches, 
provided protection was given. I believe also that the soil would produce 
small grain, if put in proper condition. At this camp I have a fine well of 
water at a depth of 32 feet. I understand that along the Texas and Pacific) 
on the plains south of this, that at a depth of from 15 to 30 feet an abund- 
ance of water has been found." 

H. C Smith, writing from Estacado, Blanco canyon, under date of April 
20, 1882, says: "I was the first settler in Crosby county; have been here 
since 1877, and I find this the healthiest portion of Texas. I sunk the first 
well in the Staked Plain in 1879, and found good soft water at a depth of 
55 feet, at the Indian colony, on a high rolling prairie. I have made two 
fair crops of corn, rice corn, sugar cane, and, in fact, everything that is 
grown elsewhere in Texas. Grass is of the best mesquite kinds, in abund- 
ance, and all over the plains. Wheat, oats, barley, and rye do well in this 
county. Building material is plenty, of sand rock and magnesia lime rock, 
Coal has been found in the brakes of the Staked Plain in abundance, 
Wild fruit, in some portions, is plentiful, such as currants, five kinds. y| 



3G0 RESOURCES, SOIL, AND CLIMATE 01? TEXAS. 

plums, three kinds of grapes — and I have planted an orchard of several 
hundred domestic fruit trees, which are all doing well; in fact this is a 
natural fruit country. Mt. Blanco is located in Blanco canyon, on White 
river, or Fresh Water Fork of the Brazos, about 50 miles from its mouth, 
and about 20 miles in the canyon. Silver Falls, about two miles below 
Dewey Lake, is the best water-power in the State." 

The foregoing statements in regard to a number of counties, some of 
which are situated on the Staked Plain, and other on the lower plain sur- 
rounding it, will apply generally and with approximate correctness to all 
♦he unorganized counties in either of those divisions respectively. But 
fuller and more detailed information in regard to the characteristics of any 
one of the counties not included in the Staked Plain may be obtained by 
reference to the sketch, which will be found in the preceding pages of this 
volume, of one or more organized counties in its immediate neighborhood. 
In all the counties of the Panhandle section, except those in which are 
located the Capitol Reservation lands, there are large areas owned by the 
several railway corporations of the State, one or more counties being cov- 
ered by such locations. Each alternate section (640 acres) of these railway 
surveys belongs to the State common school fund, and are held at $1 and f>2 
per acre, according to the water supply, payable in twenty annual install- 
ments with S per cent interest. The railway lands can be bought in quanti- 
ties to suit purchasers, and on easy terms. All the unappropriated public 
lands lying within the limits above stated are set apart for the payment of 
the public debt, and are held at 50 cents per acre in tracts of 640 acres or 
less. 

It remains to be said that the barrier of space which has so long separ- 
ated this remarkable territory from the outside world, and made it almost 
an unknown land, would seem now to be in a fair way of being removed. 
The Gulf, Colorado and Sante Fe Railway, with 534 miles of completed 
road, is projected to pass diagonally, and almost centrally, through the Pan- 
handle, from southeast to northwest. The Fort Worth and Denver City 
Railway, already in operation to Wichita Falls, in Wichita county, is also 
projected to run nearly parallel with the first named road to a crossing on 
the Canadian River, 16 miles west of Tascosa, in Oldham county, its objec- 
tive point, and to be met there by the Denver and New Orleans Railway, 
coming into the State from the northwest. When it is stated that 4926 
miles of railway have been constructed in the State within the past decade, 
the completion of these lines at an early day cannot be regarded as beyond 
the bounds of reasonable expectation. 






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